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    Todidae – Todies

    Smallest and most active feeders of all the birds found in diversified habitats; laying huge eggs as compared to bird’s size

    Dwarf birds weighing 5-7 g (0.1-0.2 ounces) and 10-11.5 cm (3.9-4.5 in) in length have large heads, shiny green wings, and red and black beaks. Toddies resemble a lot with kingfishers and hummingbirds. Each species in the family is distinguished by the color of its flanks, belly, and cheeks and by the unique vocalizations it produces during the breeding season.

    Toddies feed on small insects like grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, bugs, butterflies, ants, and wasps. Birds dig deep tunnels every breeding season using their beaks and feet in steep banks and trunks of a rotten trees. Both parents incubate and feed their chicks with the highest feeding rate of all the birds, up to 140 times per day.