[Length 13.5 in. Wingspan 17 in.]

This Groove-billed Ani was photographed at the NABA Butterfly Park, Mission, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 70-200mm EDAF-S VR f2.8 lens + Nikkor TC14E II 1.4x Teleconverter (EFL=375mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: August 8, 2006)

[Length 13.5 in. Wingspan 17 in.]

This Groove-billed Ani was photographed at the NABA Butterfly Park, Mission, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 70-200mm EDAF-S VR f2.8 lens + Nikkor TC14E II 1.4x Teleconverter (EFL=375mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: August 8, 2006)

[Length 13.5 in. Wingspan 17 in.]

This Groove-billed Ani was photographed at Alligator Pond, Laguna Atascosa NWR, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: April 30, 2009)

[Length 13.5 in. Wingspan 17 in.]

This Groove-billed Ani was photographed at Allen William's "Wildscaped" yard, Pharr, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D300 camera. (Date: May 6, 2009)

[Length 13.5 in. Wingspan 17 in.]

This Groove-billed Ani was photographed at the Valley Land Fund's Sheepshead Lots, South Padre Island, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens + Nikkor TC17E II 1.7x Teleconverter on a Nikon D7100 camera. (Date: September 30, 2016)

[Length 14.5 in. Wingspan 18.5 in.]

The Smooth-billed Ani is a tropical relative of the Cuckoo family which looks remarkably like a Boat-tailed Grackle at first glance. Named for the lack of prominent ridges on its stout bill (see Groove-billed Ani), the Smooth-billed Ani occurs in North America only in southern Florida and Caribbean Islands. The birds are declining throughout their Florida range. One theory for this is that the birds were originally "blown" onto the mainland by a hurricane and managed to survive in marginal habitat. The severe loss of habitat and water shortages which have occurred in southern Florida in the last 30 to 40 years were enough to degrade the marginal habitat, leading to a gradual decline in the Florida population. This Smooth-billed Ani was photographed in the brush next to a motel parking lot in Homestead, Florida, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: January 1991)

[Length 14.5 in. Wingspan 18.5 in.]

This Smooth-billed Ani was photographed at Everglades National Park, FL, USA. Photo taken with a Celestron 750mm f5.6 lens on Ektachrome 200 film. (Date: February 1976)

[Length 14.5 in. Wingspan 18.5 in.]

This Smooth-billed Ani was photographed at Homestead, FL, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor EDAF 300mm f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: January 1991)

[Length 5.5 in. Wingspan ?? in.]

This male Chestnut-backed Antbird was photographed at the Canopy Lodge Birding Facility (Las Minas Trail), El Valle de Anton, Panama. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D7000 camera. (Date: August 9, 2011)