Guy Lacroix
Cuban Tody, Todier de Cuba, Cartacuba, Todus Multicolor
"A bird that’s almost indescribably cute—and the top of the must-see list of any birder heading for the West Indies. Because although it’s not much bigger than a hummingbird, a Cuban Tody packs a lot of pizzazz into its tiny body.
It’s big-headed. Short-tailed. Brilliant leaf-green with a geranium-red throat. And as if that weren’t enough to be noticed, the Cuban species features a touch of blue on the sides of its throat. Its long, flattened bill looks like it’s built for insect-catching. And indeed it is.
In woodlands throughout the island of Cuba, todies are terrific foragers. In fact, their Puerto Rican cousins have been known to catch up to one or two insects a minute, hunting from dawn to dusk. Their wings make an audible whirring sound each time they do this, and you may find a tody just by listening for that sound." Michael Stein
National Audubon Society Photographed in the wild, Marea del Portillo, Cuba
Cuban Tody, Todier de Cuba, Cartacuba, Todus Multicolor
"A bird that’s almost indescribably cute—and the top of the must-see list of any birder heading for the West Indies. Because although it’s not much bigger than a hummingbird, a Cuban Tody packs a lot of pizzazz into its tiny body.
It’s big-headed. Short-tailed. Brilliant leaf-green with a geranium-red throat. And as if that weren’t enough to be noticed, the Cuban species features a touch of blue on the sides of its throat. Its long, flattened bill looks like it’s built for insect-catching. And indeed it is.
In woodlands throughout the island of Cuba, todies are terrific foragers. In fact, their Puerto Rican cousins have been known to catch up to one or two insects a minute, hunting from dawn to dusk. Their wings make an audible whirring sound each time they do this, and you may find a tody just by listening for that sound." Michael Stein
National Audubon Society Photographed in the wild, Marea del Portillo, Cuba