cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/4333561

The Puerto Rican tody (Todus mexicanus) is a bird endemic to Puerto Rico. It is locally known in Spanish as “San Pedrito” (“little Saint Peter”) and “medio peso” (“half-dollar bird”). Adults are almost entirely bright green above with a red chin and throat patch, white malar stripes, yellow flanks, and a long bill. The Puerto Rican Tody is a common and widespread endemic to Puerto Rico from the coast to the Mountains. Its’ habitat are forested areas, including damp forests of hills and mountains, shade coffee plantations and dense thickets in the arid lowlands of the south coast. The Puerto Rican tody is primarily insectivorous (85.9% of its diet). Todies eats katydids, grasshoppers, crickets, earwigs, dragonflies, flies, beetles, spiders (8.2%), and occasionally small lizards (3.5%) and frogs. During the past, the Puerto Rican tody suffered from human predation as it was captured as food. Currently it suffers from nest predation by introduced Indian mongooses. Puerto Rico Tody makes loud, nasal “beep”. It also utters raspy calls “neeet” or “prrrrrreeet”. This bird produces rattling sounds with the wings when it performs short flights. Here is a link so you can listen to this pretty little bird.