Ani (bird)
| Ani | |
|---|---|
| |
| Groove-billed ani,Crotophaga sulcirostris | |
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Cuculiformes |
| Family: | Cuculidae |
| Subfamily: | Crotophaginae |
| Genus: | Crotophaga Linnaeus,1758 |
| Type species | |
| Crotophaga ani(smooth-billed ani) | |
Theanisare the three species of birds in the genusCrotophagaof thecuckoofamily. They are essentially tropicalNew Worldbirds, although the range of two species just reaches theUnited States.[1][2]
Unlike some cuckoos, the anis are notbrood parasites,but nest communally, the cup nest being built by several pairs from 2–6 m high in a tree. A number of females lay their eggs in the nest and then share incubation and feeding.
The anis are large black birds with a long tail and a deep ridged black bill. Their flight is weak and wobbly, but they run well, and usually feed on the ground.
These are very gregarious species, always found in noisy groups. Anis feed ontermites,largeinsects,and evenlizardsandfrogs.The claim that they will remove ticks and other parasites from grazing animals has been disputed; while there is no doubt that anis follow grazing animals to catch disturbed insects and will occasionally eat fallen ticks, there is no proof that they remove ticks from the animals' bodies.
Taxonomy
[edit]ThegenusCrotophagawas introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeusin thetenth editionof hisSystema Naturaeto accommodate a single species, thesmooth-billed ani(Crotophaga ani).[3]The genus name combines theAncient Greekkrotōnmeaning "tick" with-phagosmeaning "-eating".[4]Linnaeus cited the Irish physicianPatrick Brownewho in 1756 in hisThe Civil and Natural History of Jamaicahad used the nameCrotophagaand remarked that smooth-billed anis "live chiefly upon ticks and other small vermin; and may be frequently seen jumping about all cows and oxen in the fields".[5]The name "Ani" was used in 1648 by German naturalistGeorg Marcgravein hisHistoria Naturalis Brasiliae.[6]Marcgrave did not explain the origin of the word, but it is probably derived from theTupi language.[7]
Species
[edit]The genus contains three species.[8]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater ani
|
Crotophaga major (Gmelin, 1788) |
Panama and Trinidad through tropical South America to northern Argentina
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Smooth-billed ani
|
Crotophaga ani Linnaeus, 1758 |
Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, parts of Central America, south to western Ecuador, Brazil, and northern Argentina
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Groove-billed ani
|
Crotophaga sulcirostris Swainson, 1827 |
southern Texas, central Mexico, the Bahamas, through Central America, to northern Colombia and Venezuela and coastal Ecuador, and Peru
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
References
[edit]- ^Avise JC, Nelson WS, Sibley CG (June 1994)."Why one-kilobase sequences from mitochondrial DNA fail to solve the Hoatzin phylogenetic enigma".Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.3(2): 175–84.doi:10.1006/mpev.1994.1019.PMID8075835.
- ^Payne, R.B. (2005).The Cuckoos.Oxford University Press.
- ^Linnaeus, Carl(1758).Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis(in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 105.
- ^Jobling, James A. (2010).The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names.London: Christopher Helm. p. 123.ISBN978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^Browne, Patrick(1756).The Civil and Natural History of Jamaica.London: Printed for the author, and sold by T. Osborne and J. Shipton. p. 474.
- ^Marcgrave, Georg(1648).Historia Naturalis Brasiliae(in Latin). Vol. Liber Quintus: Qui agit de Avibus. Lugdun and Batavorum (London and Leiden): Franciscum Hackium and Elzevirium. p. 193.
- ^Jobling, James A. (2010).The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names.London: Christopher Helm. p. 48.ISBN978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^Gill, Frank;Donsker, David;Rasmussen, Pamela,eds. (July 2021)."Turacos, bustards, cuckoos, mesites, sandgrouse".IOC World Bird List Version 11.2.International Ornithologists' Union.Retrieved21 August2021.
External links
[edit]
Media related toCrotophagaat Wikimedia Commons
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