Sao Tome Spinetail

A large weaver with a long, thin pointed bill. The male has a pale eye, and during the breeding season a brownish wash to the face. The female has a brown eye and an olive-brown belly. The species occupies open country, where it often breeds in mixed-species colonies over water or in large isolated trees. The chattering and rasping song is long and complex. The smaller Southern Brown-throated Weaver has a chunkier bill than Cape Weaver; its male has a better defined brown throat and its female has a white belly. African Golden-Weaver has reddish eyes, and Holub’s Golden-Weaver has an unstreaked yellowish back.

Distinctive warbler with bold black-and-white stripes over entire body. Adult males have black throat and cheek; females and immatures have white throat and paler cheek. Creeps along branches like a nuthatch, searching for insects. Breeds in mature deciduous or mixed forests; winters in a wider variety of wooded habitats as far south as northern South America. Listen for high pitched “squeaky-wheel” song. Breeding male Blackpoll Warbler is potentially confusing, but note different behavior and face pattern.

Medium-sized antpitta of the subtropical zone in the Andes. Restricted to west slope of Andes in Colombia and Ecuador. Typical antpitta shape: plump with short tail and long legs. Distinctive if seen well: warm rufous-brown above and pale yellow below. Like most antpittas, very difficult to see; occasionally hops along a forest trail, especially in the morning and evening. Seems to be found most often around streams in ravines and gullies. Listen for its three-parted whistled song, with the first note softer and lower.