São Tomé Ibis

The São Tomé ibis measures 248 mm on its wings, 75 mm on its bill, 52 mm on its tarsus, and 95 mm on its tail, on average. The head is a dull olive color with black surrounding the eyes and the base of the bill. The tectrix (wing coverts) and mantle of the bird are slightly bronzed. Most of the time, the dwarf ibis is silent, but when it is disturbed, it gives off differing coughed grunts. When going to roost, it lets out a harsh honking. Its call could also be described as a stressed Walalalala.

The São Tomé ibis was discovered in the late 1800s by Francisco Newton, a Portuguese collector, inhabiting the island of São Tomé off the coast of Western Africa. Alongside 19 other endemic species of birds, the São Tomé ibis is one of the 10 that are threatened for extinction, but little has been done to protect the island's very high biodiversity. It is found in primary forest below 450 m altitude, being seen almost exclusively in the southern forests. The decision of the ibis to nest higher up is related to predation avoidance. The nests appear both higher up and away from running water, most likely to avoid snakes and introduced mammals that could exploit the eggs, such as rats and Mona monkeys. Recently, it has been seen more and more in the newly created Obô Natural Park, which spans the majority of the western side of the island. It forages for food on the forest floor with sparse undergrowth, especially where the ground has been disturbed by feral pigs, and in swampy areas bordering watercourses.

B. Bocagei chooses to nest between 8m and 16m up in the trees in the forests. The nests were composed primarily of twigs and other biomass material, with leaves and feathers lining the inside. The nests had diameters of between 330 and 370 mm x 260–360 mm.