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Spanish
The Broad-Billed Tody is a very special and beautiful endemic bird of the island of Hispaniola.
Sadly although he is known to live in Casa de Campo, he is not commonly seen. They are very small, not much bigger than the Vervain Hummingbird we learnt about last week, but they are very distinctive – with green heads, back and wings, a white belly and a bright red throat.
This tiny bird likes cliffs or banks as it’s preferred habitat, which is where it gets its spanish name “Barrancolí”, “barranca” meaning banks in Spanish. This means that here in Casa de Campo you are mot likely to spot a Broad-Billed Tody on the Dye Fore golf course, especially on the holes that skirt the cliff above the Chavón river. We have also heard of sightings in Altos de Chavón.
This beautiful endemic bird has also been spotted in the Bayahibe-Dominicus area, in the Guaraguao Protection Center in Bayahibe, part of the Parque Nacional del Este. Click here to read more about a bird walk through the nationak park.
Broad-Billed Tody spotted in the Guaraguao Protection Center in Bayahibe
Of the two species of tody, The Broad-Billed Tody is the most abundant, research has shown that this species has increased over the years.
Aves de la República Dominicana y Haiti
By: Steven Latta, Christopher Rimmer, Allan Keith, James Wiley
The Broad-Billed Tody Profile
- They range between 11-12 cm in length and 9.8 g in weight.
- They have bright green bodies and a red throat.
- It can be identified by its small size, stubby beak.
- It’s an endemic resident breeding bird of the island of Hispaniola.
- They can breed twice a year between March and June.
- They do their nest in the banks or cliffs
- They lay 3-4 bright white eggs.
Birds of Hispaniola
The island of Hispaniola, shared between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, has more than 300 different bird species, of which 32 are endemic, meaning that in the entire world, this is the only place they can be found. Incredibly, 8 of these endemic species can be spotted right here in Casa de Campo, as well as many more!
This is the ninth article of our series “Birds of Casa de Campo”, in future articles you can look forward to reading about: the Broad-Billed Tody, the Barrancoli, and many more!
Click here to read part 1: The Hispaniolan Parakeets of the Teeth of the Dog
Click here to read part 2: The Brown Pelican
Click here to read part 3: The Hispaniolan Woodpeckers
Click here to read part 4: The little yellow Village Weaver
Click here to read part 5: The Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron
Click here to read part 6: The Ruddy Turnstone
Click here to read part 7: Hispaniolan Lizard Cuckoo
Click here to read part 8: Hispaniolan Lizard Cuckoo