The Cuban tody is a bird species in the family Todidae that is restricted to Cuba and the adjacent islands.
Region
Caribbean
Typical Environment
Endemic to Cuba, where it occupies a wide range of wooded habitats including evergreen and deciduous forests, thickets, mangroves, and shaded plantations. It favors dense understory and vine tangles along forest edges and streams. Common in both lowland and foothill forests, it can also be found in secondary growth and well-vegetated gardens. It typically forages within the lower to mid canopy, moving between shaded perches.
Altitude Range
0–1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the cartacuba, the Cuban tody is one of the island’s most distinctive tiny birds, with a brilliant red throat and emerald-green back. Pairs excavate burrows in earthen banks or rotten wood and line the nest with leaf fragments. They often give a soft wing-whirr during short, darting flights between perches. Despite their size, they are assertive defenders of small territories.
juvenile
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with quick darts between perches
Social Behavior
Usually seen in pairs that maintain small territories year-round. They excavate nesting burrows in earthen banks or rotten wood and line them with leaf fragments. Clutch size is small, and both parents share incubation and chick feeding.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Voice consists of dry rattles and fast, high-pitched tic or tot notes delivered in brief series. Pairs exchange soft calls while foraging, often accompanied by an audible wing whirr during short flights.
Plumage
Bright green upperparts with a vivid red throat and white underparts washed pink on the flanks; subtle blue highlights on the sides. Feathers are smooth and compact, giving a neat, glossy appearance.
Diet
Primarily feeds on small insects such as beetles, flies, wasps, ants, and caterpillars, along with spiders. It gleans prey from leaf undersides and branches and makes short sallies to snatch flying insects. Occasionally takes small fruits when available.
Preferred Environment
Forages within shaded forest understory to mid-level foliage, especially along edges, stream banks, and vine tangles. Often hunts from low exposed perches with frequent, short movements to nearby leaves.
