The Groove-billed Ani is distributed from Texas and Mexico through Central America to South America along the Caribbean coast to Guyana and along the Pacific coast to northern Chile. It is found in secondary growth scrub and other disturbed habitats as well as pastures and farmland.

It is black with a long, round-tipped tail and a large, laterally flattened bill with grooves but no hump at the base as is found on the bill of Smooth-billed Ani C. ani.