Smooth Billed Ani ( Crotophaga ani )

33 cm. The tail is very long. It is all black. The bill is thick and strong. The skin is also black. Male and female are similar.
Distribution:
From Florida (U.S.A) to Argentina.
Habitat:
Inhabits open landscapes with grass. Prefers moist places.
Diet:
Consumes arthropods, mainly grasshoppers, and small vertebrates as lizards, mice and frogs. Also eats hatchlings. Fishes in shallow water. In some seasons, mostly in the dry ones when arthropods are scarce it eats fruits and seeds. Follows cattle and tractors in order to catch insects displaced by their movements.
Reproduction:
The male dances around the female on the ground. It offers food as a gift for the female but sometimes swallows the food himself after the copulation. Although they form couples they still live in groups. The big and deep nest is made of small branches and leaves. It may have eggs from many females. Each one lays from 4 to 7 and the total may reach 20 eggs that are big and greenish blue. The flightless hatchlings crawl around the nest using their feet and beaks. Males and brothers from previous broods help raising the hatchlings. The whole group defends the nest against invaders.
Natural history:
It is skillful in jumping and running through branches, keeping the tail raised. Has more than 12 different vocalizations. This ani lives in groups of 7 to 15 members. They sleep together among the dense foliage of a tree and to warm themselves up getting close to each other. The group has a well established territory with a nesting and a feeding area. The body has a typical smell that can be sensed several meters away. This smell attracts vampire bats. They are frequently killed by pesticides.