Here is my entry for Granny Shot It’s Bird of the Day (BOTD) challenge.
The Smooth-Billed Ani is a member of the cuckoo family. It is a resident from southern Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, parts of Central America, south to western Ecuador, Brazil, and northern Argentina. How it made its way to North Florida is a true mystery & was rare bird for around these parts. This bird hung out at the park for weeks at the end of 2018 & beginning of 2019. We went back several times just to catch a glimpse one more time. We were able to see it 4 times in 4 separate trips before we didn’t see it any longer. This was a life bird for us and we were able to put it on our ebird.org count for both years.
Our Eyes Open 
4 responses to “August 8 – BOTD – Smooth-Billed Ani”
Wow! That’s amazing! I would love to see a rare bird in the wild. We usually see only the same ones except at the zoo or aquarium.
LikeLike
We try to get to places where rare birds are seen, but it is rare. We had the snowy owl at Little Talbot a few years ago & there were photographer from everywhere, including out of the country that showed up. Even though they can go north & see them. The thing was, it was the first time in 50 years. Owl hung out for about 3 weeks. We were able to see it, but didn’t really have the lens for a portfolio.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is one unique bird. At first I thought. “What’s wrong with that crow?”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahaha! When I was excited about seeing this bird, I described it to my friends as a crow crossed with a parrot.
LikeLiked by 1 person