The São Tomé spinetail (''Zoonavena thomensis'') is a species of

swift Swift or SWIFT most commonly refers to: * SWIFT, an international organization facilitating transactions between banks ** SWIFT code * Swift (programming language) * Swift (bird), a family of birds It may also refer to: Organizations * SWIF ...

in the family

Apodidae The Apodidae, or swifts, form a family of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are not closely related to any passerine species. Swifts are placed in the order Apodiformes along with hummingbirds. The treeswifts ar ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is an island country in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two archipelagos around the two main isla ...

, occurring in both

São Tomé São Tomé is the capital and largest city of the Central African island country of São Tomé and Príncipe. Its name is Portuguese for " Saint Thomas". Founded in the 15th century, it is one of Africa's oldest colonial cities. History Álv ...

and

Príncipe Príncipe (; ) is the smaller, northern major island of the country of São Tomé and Príncipe lying off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. It has an area of (including offshore islets) and a population of 7,324 at the 2012 Cens ...

Islands.

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

Species Factsheet ''Zoonavena thomensis''
accessed 17 January 2019 The species was described by

Ernst Hartert Ernst Johann Otto Hartert (29 October 1859 – 11 November 1933) was a widely published German ornithologist. Life and career Hartert was born in the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg on 29 October 1859. In July 1891, he married the illustrat ...

on 1900.

Habitat

The São Tomé spinetail is resident, occupying primary and secondary forests as well as cultivated areas and plantations, from the lowlands to 1500 m in altitude.

Behaviour

The São Tomé spinetail captures small insects in flight, foraging in small flocks of 8 to 10 individuals. The species nests on the sides of hollow trees, constructing open, cupped nests. Breeding seemingly takes place between August and October, and females lay between 2 and 4 eggs. The species does not form breeding colonies, with each pair being solitary.

References

Zoonavena Endemic birds of São Tomé and Príncipe Birds described in 1900 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{apodiformes-stub