The Narrow-billed Tody (Todus angustirostris) is a typical tody: a small, short-tailed, chunky bird with bright colors and a long, flattened bill. It is found on Hispaniola, which is the only island on which more than a single species of tody occurs: the Narrow-billed Tody tends to occur at higher elevations on the island, above 700 m, while the lowlands of Hispaniola are occupied by the Broad-billed Tody (Todus subulatus). The two are similar in plumage – bright green above, with a red throat and paler underparts – but the Narrow-billed Tody is whiter below, and the red mandible usually has a dusky tip. The two species also have different vocalizations, and different foraging behaviors: the Narrow-billed Tody consistently forages lower near the ground than does the Broad-billed Tody.
The species primarily exists in the dense, wet jungle and forests at higher elevations on both the Dominican Republic and Haiti. However, it can occur locally at lower elevations and its distribution can overlap that of the Broad-billed Tody (Todus sublets). Resident on Hispaniola. Primarily occurs at higher elevations (Raffaele et al. 1998). Elevational range 900-2400 m (Parker et al. 1996).
The primary food eaten by this species is insects, and consequently this species like all Todus species is classified as insectivorous (Kepler 1977). Kepler (1977) identified fourteen insect orders and 49 insect families that todies will eat (See Appendix 3, Kepler 1977). The Narrow-billed Tody has not been found to prey on large butterflies and catepillars, which are included in the diet of the Broad-billed Tody Todus subulatus(Latta and Wunderle 1996).