Crotophaga ani

Eluding me in south Florida, where it has become exceptionally rare, Crotophaga ani was a much more present resident in Costa Rica. Its range extends from the central Pacific coast down into the Osa Peninsula and beyond to Panama. The Smooth-Billed Ani is so named for that which distinguishes it from the other Ani species: its bill is heightened and flat, bearing a striking resemblance to a sheet of pounded metal.

The Smooth-Billed Ani, though common within its Costa Rican range, is graced with features few can dismiss as ordinary.

I first stumbled upon this species in the cattle pasturelands beyond the beach town of Uvita, on the Pacific coast. True to its reputation, it was gregarious; yet somehow demure. The bill is something else, as far as distinctive traits go, but what really struck me most was the roundness of its features. Its bill, head, tail, wings, and even its feet were fashioned with such delicious curves...its figure was one of the most inviting I've come across.