They are small insectivorous birds, characterized by their bright green feathers, pink flanks and red throats.

[3] The ancestors of the broad-billed tody migrated to the island two to three million years ago, meaning they have always been distinct species.

[3] There has also been a question about where to place the todies among other taxonomic groups, due to their similarities with other birds, such as the nightjars, the trogons, the puffbirds, among others.

The broad-billed tody is a small, rotund bird with a short tail, distinctive bright green feathers on its back, head and wings, as well as a plain white breast tinged with yellow.

Additionally, it has a striking red throat, pale pink flanks, slate-colored irises and bright yellow on its underside, where its body meets its tail.

[2] Its body measures 11.5 centimeters tall and it weighs approximately 7.5 grams, making it the largest bird in the genus Todus.

The eggs are glossy white, with no markings, though they often pick up a reddish tint from dirt stains, as well as a rosy tinge from the large orange/red yolk inside, necessary to sustain their unusually long incubation time.

The broad-billed tody inhabits primarily low elevations, ranging from sea level to 1700 meters,[4] and is also more prevalent in the Dominican Republic than Haiti.

Males and females will both participate in the creation of burrows, with their construction beginning as early as September and continuing until June.

At the height of his display, he will completely inflate, appearing as a round green puffball with no wings, and his pink flank feathers will seemingly extend over his back.

The broad-billed tody is considered an inattentive parent, because it spends less than a quarter of its daylight time incubating the eggs.

[2] Once the nestlings are born, they are kept in the nest for another two to three weeks until they leave, upon which the breeding pair separates and the young birds survive on their own.

Broad-billed todies are insectivorous and require a large amount of prey year-round, having a varied diet consisting of around fifty insect families, with the most foraged invertebrates being grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, moths and butterflies, flies, and cockroaches.

The tody will sit on a perch and keep its eyes and bill pointed upward, scanning for prey on the underside of leaves.

However, due to the nature of the tody's sedentary lifestyle, feeding techniques and small territory size, elaborate wings are not necessary.

The broad-billed tody rarely flies, and instead hops sideways along perches for movement, by flapping its wings one to two times to barely lift its body off the surface.