English             Smooth Billed Ani

Portuguese      Anu-preto

Latin                  Crotophaga ani

Without being too offensive, I think this is one of the ugliest birds that I have photographed so far. 

The adult is mainly flat black, with a long tail, deep ridged black bill and a brown iris. The flight is weak and wobbly, but the bird runs well. This is a very social bird, always found in noisy groups. The calls include a whining ooo-leeek. The smooth-billed ani is a mid-sized species. It measures 30–36 cm in length and weighs 71–133 grams.

The Smooth-billed Ani is a widespread resident of scrub and forest clearings from the Caribbean, all the way down to northern Argentina. They have greatly benefited from deforestation. They normally feed on the ground, feeding on termites, large insects and even lizards and frogs. They have been seen hovering around small grass fires, catching animals flushed out by the disturbance and occasionally remove ticks and other parasites from grazing animals.

The nest is built communally by several pairs. It is a deep cup lined structure built with leaves, usually placed 2 to 6 metres above the ground. A number of females lay chalky blue eggs in the nest and then share incubation and feeding. Each female is capable of laying up to seven eggs, some nests have been found containing up to 29 eggs. It is rare though for more than ten eggs to hatch. Incubation is 13–15 days, with another 10 days to fledging. Up to three broods may be raised in a season, with the young of earlier broods helping to feed more recent chicks. 

These photos were taken near the top of Morro do Moreno (Moreno Hill), Vila Velha, ES, Brazil while going for a walk. The first photo is off an Adult, the second photo is of a juvenile as the bill has not properly formed.