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SPECIES PROFILE

Jamaican Tody (Todus todus)

Todus

IUCN STATUS

Least Concern

Jamaican Tody (Todus todus) — Endemic to Jamaica; not found naturally anywhere else on Earth.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Least Concern

CLASS

Aves

GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE

Endemic to Jamaica; not found naturally anywhere else on Earth.

DIET

Carnivore

HABITAT

Humid montane forest, wet limestone forest, coffee-shade gardens, and forest edges at all elevations across Jamaica.

🔬 Classification

PHYLUM

Chordata

CLASS

Aves

ORDER

Coraciiformes

FAMILY

Todidae

GENUS

Todus

📋 Description

SIZE

Tiny bird only 9 cm long; weighs 6–7 g; stubby broad-billed appearance.

COLORATION

Vivid emerald-green upperparts; bright red throat; white and pale pink flanks; yellow-green underparts.

ADAPTATIONS

Broad flattened bill with rictal bristles for catching flying insects; exceptional aerial agility in short sallying flights.

🌿 Ecology

HABITAT

Humid montane forest, wet limestone forest, coffee-shade gardens, and forest edges at all elevations across Jamaica.

DIET

Carnivore

GEOGRAPHIC RANGE

Endemic to Jamaica; not found naturally anywhere else on Earth.

REPRODUCTION

Excavate burrow nests in earthen banks or rotting wood; 2–4 white eggs; both parents incubate for ~21 days.

DIET DETAILS

Flying insects caught in short aerial sallies; also small lizards and spiders gleaned from leaf surfaces.

⚠️ Threats & Conservation

PRIMARY THREATS

Habitat loss from coffee-farm conversion and tourism development; locally common in remaining forest.

💡 Interesting Facts

1

The Jamaican Tody is one of five tody species, all of which are endemic to the Caribbean — they have no close relatives elsewhere.

2

Todies have the highest foraging rates of any Caribbean bird, making up to 70 aerial sallies per hour.

🔭 Sighting Guide

📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT

Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park (Holywell Recreational Area), Jamaica — excellent Tody habitat with easy trails.

Hardwar Gap picnic area in Blue Mountains, Jamaica — roadside forest walk produces Jamaican Tody reliably at dawn.

Cockpit Country forest reserve in Trelawny, Jamaica — one of the most biodiverse areas in the Caribbean for endemic birds.

🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT

Scan the undersides of horizontal branches in Blue Mountains forest from below — Todies sit motionless and are easy to overlook.

🎯 SIGHTING TIPS

Year-round; breeding season March–June when pairs excavate nest tunnels in earthen banks.