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ANI
(ah-NEE)
Tropical
American birds related to the cuckoo
Common
clue: Blackbird; Witch bird; Tropical cuckoo; Black cuckoo;
Cuckoo bird
Crossword
puzzle frequency:
once a year
Frequency
in English language:
75421 / 86800
Video:
Black Cuckoo
Calling
The
Anis
are the three species of near-passerine birds in the genus
Crotophaga
of the cuckoo family. They are essentially tropical New World
birds, although the range of two species just reaches the US.
Unlike
some cuckoos, the anis are not brood parasites, but nest
communally, the cup nest being built by several pairs between 2-6
m high in a tree. A number of females lay their eggs in the nest
and then share incubation and feeding.
The
anis are large black birds with a long tail and a deep ridged
black bill. Their flight is weak and wobbly, but they run well,
and usually feed on the ground.
These
are very gregarious species, always found in noisy groups. Anis
feed on termites, large insects and even lizards and frogs. They
will remove ticks and other parasites from grazing animals.
This
article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia
article "Ani (bird)".
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