Groove-billed Ani (Crotophaga sulcirostris), Veterans Oasis Park, Maricopa County

This Groove-billed Ani was found by Byran Slavinsky on 16 November 2016 and photographed by Brian Johnson and Richard Ditch on 17 November 2016 and Bernie Howe and Jim Ripley on 18 November 2016

Groove-billed Ani is a casual visitor with about 20 previous records. Nearly all these records are concentrated into two time windows, either mid summer (late May to August) or late fall (October to December).

Seen well this large, black cuckoo can only be confused with Smooth-billed Ani, which has never occured in Arizona and probably never will. Separating Smooth-billed from Groove-billed is very tricky, especially because small billed, Smooth-billed Anis can have faint grooves on the bill. The combination of a straight lower mandible without a pronounced gonydal angle and the extensive bare skin around the eye are probably the best marks for Groove-billed.

17 November 2016, photo by Brian Johnson

17 November 2016, photo by Richard Ditch

18 November 2016, photo by Bernie Howe

 

18 November 2016, photo by Jim Ripley

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