Groove-billed Ani (Crotophaga sulcirostris), Whitewater Draw, Cochise County

This Groove-billed Ani was found and photographed by Lauren Harter on 10 July and also photographed by Ken Murphy on 14 July 2018

Groove-billed Ani is a casual visitor. Nearly all 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 occurred 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. On this individual, distinct grooves are visible on the bill, typical of a Groove-billed Ani of this age.

10 July 2018, photo by Lauren Harter

14 July 2018, photo by Ken Murphy

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