The Puerto Rican Tody (Todus mexicanus), also known on the island as “San Pedrito”, is a small forest bird endemic to the island of Puerto Rico. They resemble the hummingbirds in size and shape, but their closest relatives are the kingfishers. They are voracious insectivores and nest in earth banks by excavating a curved burrow.

This bird was spotted in the El Yunque, part of the Caribbean National Forest, a designated United Nations Biosphere Reserve (UNESCO). If you stomp through the forest at breakneck speed while chatting away loudly like many American tourists I came across, you probably won't see this bird...

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Photo © 2008 by George Lin