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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Cuckoos (Order Cuculiformes)

-Cuckoos (Family Cuculidae)

-Genus Morococcyx

-Lesser Ground-Cuckoo (Morococcyx erythropygus)


Anis are coal-black cuckoos with long floppy tails and tall, flattened bills. It has a huge bill with lengthwise grooves running the length of the upper mandible. Eats mainly insects taken from ground or from shrubs, also small fruits and occasionally lizards. Groove-billed Anis gather in loose groups. They nest communally. As many as four or five pairs of birds may use one nest, a bulky cup of twigs lined with fresh leaves. When the dominant female ani begins to lay her own eggs, the other females lay simultaneously.

Groove-billed Ani

Crotophaga sulcirostris

Diet

  • Primarily insects, including grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, crickets, termites, ants, and other large arthropods.

  • Also feeds on spiders, lizards, frogs, small snakes, fruits, seeds, and occasionally eggs or nestlings.

  • Often forages on the ground, following livestock to catch insects disturbed by their movement.

Range

  • Found from southern Texas through Mexico, Central America, and into northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela.

  • Widespread throughout Mexico, including the Zihuatanejo region, where it is a common year-round resident.

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, thorn scrub, savannas, agricultural fields, pastures, wetlands, woodland edges, and suburban areas.

  • Prefers open and semi-open habitats with scattered trees and shrubs.

Male / Female

  • Male: Glossy black plumage with a long tail and a distinctive deep, laterally grooved bill; slightly larger than the female.

  • Female: Nearly identical in appearance but generally smaller and more slender.

  • Sexes cannot be reliably distinguished in the field except by subtle size differences or breeding behaviour.

Size

  • Length: 30–34 cm (12–13.5 in)

  • Wingspan: 38–45 cm (15–18 in)

  • Weight: 70–110 g

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