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Tody
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Jamaican tody (Todus todus)
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Jamaican tody (Todus todus)
Jamaican tody (Todus todus)

Tody

bird genus
Also known as: Todus
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
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Tody, any of five species of small, brilliantly coloured forest birds constituting the genus Todus of the order Coraciiformes. They occur in the West Indies. Four distinct but closely related broad-billed todies may be found on the islands of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Hispaniola (some systems of classification group them in a single species, Todus subulatus). The fifth, the narrow-billed tody (T. angustirostris), is found only on Hispaniola. About 9 to 12 cm (3.5 to 5 inches) long, all have grass-green backs and bright red bibs. They dig tiny nest burrows in sandbanks and feed on insects, caught on the wing.