Cuban Tody Dec 2024 © Marcos Verdecia Diaz
The Cuban Tody is a tiny Cuban endemic. It is just over an inch long and weighs less that 6g. It is a year-round resident of Cuba and the islands just off the Cuban coast and is found in dry lowlands, evergreen forests, coastal vegetation, and near streams and rivers. They have a distinctive call which is a loud rattle like the chatter of a machine gun. Their diet comprises mainly insects and spiders but also includes small fruits and lizards.
They nest from April to July and excavate a tunnel about 30 cm (12 in) long in a clay or sand embankment with a terminal chamber, although sometimes they use a rotten trunk or tree cavity. They cover the walls of the tunnel and the egg chamber with a thick glue-like substance mixed with grass, lichen, algae, small feathers, and other materials. Three or four eggs are laid and they are incubated by both parents.
The above photo is probably the best that I have seen of a Cuban Tody as it's difficult to get a picture with an uncluttered background. It was taken recently by Marcos Verdecia Diaz. Well done Marcos.
They nest from April to July and excavate a tunnel about 30 cm (12 in) long in a clay or sand embankment with a terminal chamber, although sometimes they use a rotten trunk or tree cavity. They cover the walls of the tunnel and the egg chamber with a thick glue-like substance mixed with grass, lichen, algae, small feathers, and other materials. Three or four eggs are laid and they are incubated by both parents.
The above photo is probably the best that I have seen of a Cuban Tody as it's difficult to get a picture with an uncluttered background. It was taken recently by Marcos Verdecia Diaz. Well done Marcos.
Cuban Tody nest chamber entrance 25 Jun 2016 Gran Piedra © Tim Norriss
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