ANIS, ROAD-RUNNERS, AND CUCKOOS 193 



ORDER COCCYGES: CUCKOOS, ETC. 

 (FAMILIES CUCULID.E, TROGOXIDJE, AND ALCEDIXIDJE.) 



FAMILY CUCULIDJE : ANIS. ROAD-RUNNERS, AND 



CUCKOOS 



KEY TO GENERA. 



1. Tail feathers 8 Crotophaga. p. 193. 



1'. Tail feathers 10. 



2. Bill longer than head Geococcyx. p. 193. 



2'. Bill not longer thaii head Coccyzus, p. 195. 



GENUS CROTOPHAGA. 



384. Crotophaga sulcirostris Swains. GROOVE-BILLED ANI. 

 Bill thick, with a convex crest ; wings rounded ; tail feathers broad, 



widening to very obtuse ends. Adults : 



dull black, feathers of body with 



metallic bluish, greenish, or bronzy 



edgings ; wings and tail faintly glossed 



with metallic bluish or violet ; upper part of bill with several distinct 



grooves. Young: uniform sooty black. Length: 12.00-14.50, wing 5.50- 



6.50, tail 7.30-8.30. 



Distribution. - - In Lower Sonoran and Tropical zones from southern 

 Texas south to Peru. Casual in southern parts of California, Arizona, 

 Louisiana, and Florida. 



Nest. -- - Bulky, made of twigs and lined with green leaves, placed often 

 in an orange or lemon tree. Eggs : 3 to 5, milky blue. 



Food. Grasshoppers, and parasites of cattle. 



The groove-billed anis are residents of the lowlands, Major 

 Bendire says, rarely being found at an altitude of more than 700 

 feet. 



They resemble the cowbirds in their habit of following cattle, and 

 not only catch the insects that the cows start up but do a great deal 

 of good by relieving the animals of the parasites which infest them. 

 When not disturbed the birds become very tame and roost in num- 

 bers about the houses. Their call-note. Dr. Ralph thinks, suggests 

 that of the flicker a plee-co repeated rapidly. 



GENUS GEOCOCCYX. 



385. Geococcyx californianus (Less.). ROAD-RUNNER. 



Bare space around eye, orange and blue ; feathers of head and neck 

 largely bristle-tipped ; whole plumage coarse and harsh ; eyelids lashed ; 

 wings short and concavo-convex, with long inner secondaries folded entirely 

 over primaries ; tail long and graduated ; upper parts conspicuously 

 streaked with brownish white, most heavily on wings ; crest and fore parts 

 of back glossed with bluish black, changing to bronzy g'reen or brown ; 

 tail long, plain bronzy, blue black, and green, graduated, tips with white 



