Greater Ani vs Smooth-billed Ani: How to Tell Them Apart

Greater Ani

Crotophaga major

Medium148 gForest

The greater ani is about 46 cm (18 in) in length. Males weigh around 162 g (5.7 oz), females 145 g (5.1 oz). The adult is mainly blue-glossed black, with a long tail, massive ridged black bill, and a white iris. Immature birds have a brown iris. The calls include croaking and turkey-like gobbling kro-koro.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Arthur Chapman · CC BY 2.0

Smooth-billed Ani

Crotophaga ani

Medium110 gUrban

The smooth-billed ani is a mid-sized species, larger on average than the groove-billed ani but smaller than the greater ani. It measures approximately 35 cm (14 in) in overall length. Males weigh around 115 g (4.1 oz) while females are lighter and with a weight of around 95 g (3.4 oz). The adult is mainly glossy black, with a long tail, deep ridged black bill and a brown iris. The flight is weak and wobbly, but the bird runs well and usually feeds on the ground. This species is called "el pijul" in Venezuelan folklore. The calls include a whining ooo-leeek.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recorded by JUAN ANTONIO ALONSO DE JUAN · Song · Vereda La Máquina, Pacho, Cundinamarca, Colombia · CC BY 4.0

Photo: Alejandro Bayer Tamayo · Public domain

Where you might meet both

Colombia Panama Brazil Ecuador Peru Argentina Bolivia Venezuela Guyana Paraguay Trinidad & Tobago French Guiana Suriname Costa Rica Uruguay Curaçao Aruba

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Greater Ani and Smooth-billed Ani.