The São Tomé paradise flycatcher, also known as São Tomé flycatcher, is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. The species was described by Thomas Richard Heywood Thomson in 1842, with Tchitrea atrochalybeia the binomial and Fernando Po given as the type locality. The species is endemic to São Tomé Island. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Region
Gulf of Guinea (São Tomé Island)
Typical Environment
This species is confined to primary and secondary forests of São Tomé, using both moist lowland forest and drier forest mosaics. It frequents forest edges, clearings, and shaded plantations, especially where tall trees provide perches for flycatching. Riparian corridors and mid-canopy strata are commonly used for foraging. It can tolerate some habitat alteration, provided sufficient tree cover remains.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1600 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The São Tomé paradise flycatcher is an island endemic confined to São Tomé in the Gulf of Guinea. Males often show elongated tail streamers and a glossy, steel-blue to blackish sheen, while females are browner with shorter tails. It is agile and adept at catching flying insects on the wing. Much of its remaining habitat lies within protected forest, including Obô Natural Park.
Temperament
active and alert
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with agile sallies
Social Behavior
Typically seen singly or in pairs, especially during the breeding season. Pairs defend small territories and perform short display flights. The nest is a small, neat cup placed on a horizontal fork, and both parents participate in incubation and feeding.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A series of soft, sweet whistles interspersed with sharper chip notes. Calls include quick, metallic ticks given during foraging and contact between mates.
Plumage
Males are glossy dark steel-blue to blackish with elongated central tail streamers; females are more rufous-brown above with duller underparts and a shorter tail. Both sexes have fine feathering around the gape with small rictal bristles typical of flycatchers.
Diet
Primarily aerial insects such as flies, beetles, moths, and termites, captured in quick sallies from a perch. It also gleans caterpillars and other arthropods from foliage. Occasional ingestion of small berries may occur but is minor compared to insect prey.
Preferred Environment
Forages from shaded perches in the understory to mid-canopy, often along forest edges and stream margins. Uses semi-open gaps and the margins of plantations where insect activity is high.
