Puerto Rican Tody
Todus mexicanus
The Puerto Rican Tody (Todus mexicanus) is a uncommon todi found only in Puerto Rico, weighing about 6 g. The Puerto Rican tody, locally known in Spanish as San Pedrito, is a bird endemic to the main island of Puerto Rico.
About the Puerto Rican Tody
The Puerto Rican tody, locally known in Spanish as San Pedrito, is a bird endemic to the main island of Puerto Rico. In 2022, the tody was approved as the official national bird of Puerto Rico by the legislative assembly. However, the proposal did not advance, largely due to the scientific name of the bird which erroneously identifies it as a native of Mexico. In 2023, the assembly approved a petition to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) seeking the renaming of the tody as Todus borinquensis.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The Puerto Rican tody is a small, brightly colored, non-passerine forest bird. It is one of the smallest representatives of the order Coraciiformes, with an average body length of 11 cm and weight of 5 to 6 g. The upperparts of the Puerto Rican tody are an emerald green color, and it has light-yellow flanks and underside tail coverts, and a white belly and chest. The "San Pedrito", also known as "Medio Peso" by the local people, has a red throat and lower bill, which in itself is long and broad. It can be as long or longer than the head, and as half as long as the wing.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, October, November, December, with peak activity in January. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Puerto Rican Tody?
- The Puerto Rican tody is a small, brightly colored, non-passerine forest bird. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Puerto Rican Tody?
- The Puerto Rican Tody is a tiny sized bird weighing about 6 g.
- Where can you see a Puerto Rican Tody?
- The Puerto Rican Tody is endemic to Puerto Rico, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to a Puerto Rican Tody?
- The Puerto Rican Tody is most easily confused with the Cuban Tody, the Broad-billed Tody and the Jamaican Tody.
- Is the Puerto Rican Tody endangered?
- The Puerto Rican Tody is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Puerto Rican Tody for real
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