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The striking Greater Ani can be found from central Panama through much of northern South America (I first saw this species
in Trinidad). It seems to prefer less disturbed areas than the other two anis of the region; I have found it most often near water
(Ammo Dumo and Summit Ponds), but it also occasionally attends ant swarms deeper in the forest. Greater Ani is about the size of a crow,
and they can emit a creepy, insect-like whirring sound (quite hard to describe). I've recorded this vocalization, but background group
chatter rendered the recording unfit for submission to the xeno-canto website. The bird pictured below was extremely accomodating as it
posed for my father and me at the Ammo Dump in May of 2006. I was struck by the smooth, iridescent quality of the ani's feathers, a quality
that I had not noticed before this occasion.
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