Turquoise Tanager

A large, rare, ground bird from scattered areas of foothill and lower montane limestone forest. All black plumage with long legs, strong bill, long tail and some bare facial behind the eye. Juvenile has a brown belly. Very secretive and keeps to dense cover. The only large, black, terrestrial bird. More often heard than seen. Voice, a loud, repetitive “choo-oowit!”.

A medium-sized weaver with white wingbars, endemic to São Tomé. Sexes look quite different:  the male has olive-brown upperparts and a burnt-orange face and upper breast, while the female is more washed-out dull brown above and buff-white below. Found in pairs and small to large flocks that forage by themselves or with other species in any environment with trees, where they feed like nuthatches by clinging to branches and probing leaves, holes, and epiphytes in search of food. The warbler-like song starts with 4–5 clear high-pitched “steeeut” notes before accelerating into a strident trill; a common call is a sharp “chwet.” Other weavers on São Tomé lack wing bars. 

Fairly small antshrike with a graduated, white-tipped tail. Males are gray overall with a black cap and a whitish center to the belly. Females have a cinnamon cap and back and are gray-buff below. Found in the lower levels of short transitional deciduous forests and white sand forests, avoiding humid forests. Sings a series of up to 20 clear notes, starting slowly and accelerating toward the end, finishing with a rattle. Very difficult to distinguish from the male of the Amazonian Antshrike, but differs in habitat. Female Amazonian Antshrike has a bright cinnamon head, not just the cap.