Narrow-billed Tody

About the Narrow-billed Tody

The narrow-billed tody (Todus angustirostris) is a species of bird in the family Todidae. It is one of two Todus species endemic to Hispaniola, a Caribbean island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The narrow-billed tody and the other Hispaniolan tody, the broad-billed (T. subulatus), were originally thought to share a recent common ancestor, because the other three todies are each the only one on different islands. However, phylogenetic analysis suggests that the narrow-billed tody descended from the Cuban tody (T. multicolor) and the broad-billed tody descended from the Puerto Rican tody (T. mexicanus). The separation between the lineages occurred two to three million years ago, before either ancestor colonized Hispaniola.

All five members of genus Todus are very small, chunky, and short tailed. The narrow-billed tody weighs about 7.5 g (0.26 oz). Its upperparts are bright green, becoming almost emerald around the white eyes. A white malar stripe separates the face from the carmine red chin and throat. The sides of the neck and breast are deep lead gray; the rest of the breast and the belly are white. The flanks are geranium... Wikipedia →