| Cuban Tody | |
|---|---|
| In Ciego de Avila Province, Cuba | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Coraciiformes |
| Family: | Todidae |
| Genus: | Todus |
| Species: | T. multicolor |
| Binomial name | |
| Todus multicolor Gould, 1837 |
|
The Cuban Tody (Todus multicolor) is a bird species in the family Todidae that is restricted to Cuba and adjacent islands[1]. The species is characterized by small size (11-centimetre (4.3 in)), large head relative to body size, and a thin, pointed bill. Similar to other todies, the coloration of the Cuban Tody includes iridescent green dorsum, pale underparts, and red highlights[2].
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The Cuban Tody is a year-round resident of portions of Cuba and islands just off the Cuban coast. Analysis of song variation suggests that the Cuban Tody is structured into two populations, corresponding to eastern and western Cuba[3].
Cuban Todies, like many resident Cuban bird species, are habitat generalists[4]. They are known to live in areas including dry lowlands, evergreen forests, coastal vegetation, and near streams and rivers. Cuban Todies may be difficult to see; Vaurie reported, "Only one seen at the Cape, in dense underbrush, but several heard." [5]
Although Cuban Tody ecology has been little-studied, they are known to be members of mixed-species flocks.[6]
Cuban Todies are often seen in pairs. When perched, they sometimes repeat a peculiar short "tot-tot-tot-tot", but the most characteristic call is a soft "pprreeee-pprreeee" (which is the origin of its Cuban common name, 'Pedorrera'). Nests consist of a tunnel about 0.3 metres (0.98 ft) in length with a chamber at the end into a clay embankment, though sometimes they use a rotten trunk or tree cavity. The walls of the tunnel and the egg chamber are covered with a thick glue-like substance mixed with grass, lichen, algae, small feathers and other materials that probably act as a sealant.
The Cuban Tody diet is dominated by insects, but also may include small fruits, spiders, and small lizards. Cuban Todies are also food items: predators include both people in poor areas and mongoose.
