Cuban Tody

SCI Name:  Todus multicolor
Protonym:  Todus multicolor Icon.Av. pt1 pl.2
Taxonomy:  Coraciiformes / Todidae / Todus
Taxonomy Code:  cubtod1
Type Locality:  Locality unknown = western Cuba.
Author:  Gould
Publish Year:  1837
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

TODUS
(Todidae; Ϯ Jamaican Tody T. todus) L. todus  small bird mentioned by Plautus and Festus, not further identified, but linked with the Robin Erithacus, Redstart Phoenicurus and similar small birds by subsequent authors.  The todies comprise one of the few families endemic to the West Indies.  In ornithology the genus name is used in combination to distinguish species or groups with flattened, up-turned tody-like bills; "Rostrum mediocre, rectum, latum, tenuiculum, supra infraque planatum, grypanium, lateribus subparallelis, in apicem acutum rotundatis, tomiis maxillaribus pone apicem utrinque emarginatis. Angulus mentalis rotundatus latus" (Illiger 1811); "Todus. Genus 59.  ...  Le genre du Todier. (1).  ...  Le bec droit, assez long, applati horizontalement & obtus.  ...  (1) Todier, nom formé du nom latin Todus, que Browne a donné à la premiere espece de ce genre" (Brisson 1760): based on "Rubecula viridis" of Sloane 1725, "Sylvia gula phœnicea" of Klein 1750, "Green Sparrow" of Edwards 1751, and ""Todus viridis" or "Tom-Tit" of Browne 1756; "Todus Brisson, Orn., 1, 1760, p. 44; 4, p. 528. Type, by tautonymy, Alcedo todus Linné." (Peters 1945, V, 220). 
Var. Todos.
● (?syn. Megarynchus) "Todus Bonn. 1790 (nec Lin. 1766)." is listed in the synonymy of Muscivora in Cabanis & Heine, 1859, Mus. Heineanum, II, p. 65. I have yet to verify or confirm the citation and diagnosis.

todus
L. todus  small bird mentioned by Plautus and Festus, not further identified, but linked with the robin Erithacus or the redstart Phoenicurus by subsequent authors; probably given to the Jamaican Tody because of its small size and robin-like red throat (“Tody  ... The name first given it by Dr Brown, I suppose, from Todi, small birds” (Pennant 1773)); "56. ALCEDO.  ...  Todus.  4. A. brachyura viridis, gula sanguinea, abdomine albo.  Rubecula viridis elegantissima. Edw. av. 121. t. 121. f. 1. Sloan. jam. 2. p. 306. t. 263. f. 1. Raj. av. 187.  Todus viridis, pectore rubro, rostro recto. Brown. jam. 476.  Habitat in America.  Genus dubium & quasi medium inter Alcedinem & Trochilum." (Linnaeus 1758) (Todus).

multicolor
L. multicolor, multicoloris  multi-coloured, many coloured  < multus  many; color, coloris  colour.
● ex “Pic à cravate noire de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 863, “Pic à cravate noire” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Black-breasted Woodpecker” of Latham 1782 (syn. Celeus torquatus).
● ex “Varied Shrike” of Latham 1822 (Chlorophoneus).
● ex “Petite Sarcelle de l’isle de Luçon” of Sonnerat 1776 (?syn. Dendrocygna sp.).
● ex “Red-bellied Fly-catcher” of Latham 1783 (Petroica).
● ex “Figuier noir et jaune de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 391, fig. 2, “Figuier noir” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Rufous and black Warbler” of Latham 1783 (syn. Setophaga ruticilla).
● ex “White-collared Parrot” of Latham 1781 (syn. Trichoglossus moluccanus).
● ex “Harlequin Humming-bird” of Latham 1782 (unident.).