Groove-billed Ani. Photo by George Ho
Local bird watcher and photographer George Ho, MD captured this photo of the Groove-billed Ani in Sand Creek. This tropical bird typically lives in Central America and northern South America, and its farthest north habitat is southern Texas—though Ho relates that sightings of the Groove-billed Ani in Colorado were reported as long ago as 1975. It is a member of the cuckoo family, as revealed by its two-toes-foreward, two-toes-back foot arrangement.
Love it! I saw this bird in Belize the same year. None of our tour leaders had a clue about what it was, but I drew its picture in my notebook, and it looked exactly like this! Thanks for your post.