Cuban Tody

The Cuban Tody, Todus multicolor, is one of five tody species that are all very similar.  Today they live only in the Greater Antilles islands of the Caribbean (Jamaica, Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico).  This species is confined to Cuba and a few small neighbour islands.  Todies are relatives of kingfishers, bee-eaters and rollers.  They are tiny, only about 10 cm/4” in total length, and mostly eat flies and other invertebrates.  They often sit with a characteristic posture, their flattened bills pointing upwards at a 45-degree-or-so angle.  They all have bright red spots on their throats.  Tody fossils have been found in Europe, indicating that they had a much wider distribution in the past.

Pencil drawing, coloured and tweaked with Photoshop.