Forest and Rangeland Birds of the United States

Natural History and Habitat Use

Smooth-billed Ani -- Crotophaga ani

RANGE: Resident in central and southern Florida from Tampa Bay and Merritt Island region southward, especially from Lake Okeechobee area to Dade County into Central and South America.

STATUS: Locally common.

HABITAT: Inhabits dense brush or hedgerows near fields, pastures, and marshes, roadside thickets, gardens and thick woods in cities, towns, and around farms.

NEST: May nest singly or communally, with several females laying their eggs in a single nest. The nest is constructed in trees or dense shrubs 6 to 30 feet above ground, commonly near human habitation.

FOOD: Forages in moist open meadows for grasshoppers, crickets, moths, green tree frogs, and chameleons.

REFERENCES: Harrison 1975, Kaufman in Farrand 1983b, Merritt 1951.

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