Smooth-Billed Ani in Galápagos: Facts and Where to See It

Anis were probably brought in deliberately by farmers to control ticks that were killing livestock, first on Isabela. Over the next 50 years they spread across the archipelago. Instead of feeding on ticks, they took to native wildlife, and some consider them the most damaging introduced bird in Galápagos.

• Nest robbers. Anis eat the nestlings of Darwin's finches and rob the nests of yellow warblers and mockingbirds.
• Seed spreaders. They spread the seeds of the invasive hill raspberry, one of the worst weeds in the islands.
• Fly hosts. They host the parasitic fly Philornis downsi, which kills the chicks of many native birds and threatens the mangrove finch, the bird most at risk of extinction in Galápagos.

In Galápagos, anis live on all the major islands except Darwin. In their native range they live in wet, shrubby or thorny country and are almost always seen in groups. They eat insects and lizards as well as fruit, and a group does almost everything together: the females lay all their eggs in one shared nest that the whole group tends. The guide sighting records list them by the Isabela Interpretation Center near Puerto Villamil.

Guide sighting records list the smooth-billed ani at 1 site: the Isabela Interpretation Center on Isabela, rated Rare. With some 250,000 anis spread over the islands, they also turn up elsewhere without being recorded by site.

Anis live in Galápagos all year. In the next twelve months, 66 departures stop at the site where they are recorded.

Research is under way into the biology of anis to find the most effective way to control them. On Floreana, an eradication of invasive rats began in October 2023 as part of the Restoring Floreana project, which aims to bring back 12 locally extinct species. That operation did not target anis, but it has raised interest in how such eradications affect them.

1. Not every bird is native. The ani is a reminder that introduced species are the biggest threat to Galápagos land birds.
2. Bring nothing living. Park rules make each visitor responsible for not introducing food, animals or plants into the archipelago.
3. Ask the guide. Guides can point out which birds are native and which arrived with people.