This checklist includes all bird species found in Sao Tome and Principe , based on the best information available at this time. It is based on a wide variety of sources that I collated over many years. I am pleased to offer these checklists as a service to birdwatchers. If you find any error, please do not hesitate to .
The taxonomic order and nomenclature follows Clements, version 2024. If you prefer to view the list based on a different authority, click on one of the list available below. Globally threatened species (status in red) were identified by Birdlife International in Birdlife Data Zone (species).
Bird Checklists of the World is part of Avibase and Bird links to the World, which are designed and maintained by Denis Lepage, and hosted by Birds Canada, which is a co-partner of Birdlife International.
© Denis Lepage 2025
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Country or region: Sao Tome and Principe [map]
Other names: São Tomé and Príncipe
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Fulvous Whistling-Duck | Dendrocygna bicolor | |
Knob-billed Duck | Sarkidiornis melanotos | |
African Pygmy-Goose | Nettapus auritus | Rare/Accidental |
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Helmeted Guineafowl | Numida meleagris | Introduced species |
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Harlequin Quail | Coturnix delegorguei | |
Scaly Spurfowl | Pternistis squamatus | |
Red-necked Spurfowl | Pternistis afer | Introduced species |
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Rock Pigeon | Columba livia | |
Rameron Pigeon | Columba arquatrix | |
Maroon Pigeon | Columba thomensis | Endemic Endangered |
Sao Tome Pigeon | Columba malherbii | Endemic (country/region) Near-threatened |
Lemon Dove | Aplopelia larvata | |
Laughing Dove | Spilopelia senegalensis | Introduced species |
Sao Tome Green-Pigeon | Treron sanctithomae | Endemic Endangered |
African Green-Pigeon | Treron calvus | |
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Great Spotted Cuckoo | Clamator glandarius | |
Pied Cuckoo | Clamator jacobinus | |
Klaas's Cuckoo | Chrysococcyx klaas | |
African Emerald Cuckoo | Chrysococcyx cupreus | |
Common Cuckoo | Cuculus canorus | |
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Sao Tome Spinetail | Zoonavena thomensis | Endemic |
Common Swift | Apus apus | Rare/Accidental |
Pallid Swift | Apus pallidus | Rare/Accidental |
Little Swift | Apus affinis | |
African Palm Swift | Cypsiurus parvus | |
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African Rail | Rallus caerulescens | |
African Crake | Crecopsis egregia | |
Lesser Moorhen | Paragallinula angulata | |
Eurasian Moorhen | Gallinula chloropus | |
Allen's Gallinule | Porphyrio alleni | Rare/Accidental |
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Eurasian Thick-knee | Burhinus oedicnemus | Rare/Accidental |
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Black-bellied Plover | Pluvialis squatarola | Vulnerable |
European Golden-Plover | Pluvialis apricaria | |
American Golden-Plover | Pluvialis dominica | |
Common Ringed Plover | Charadrius hiaticula | Rare/Accidental |
Little Ringed Plover | Thinornis dubius | |
Spur-winged Lapwing | Vanellus spinosus | Rare/Accidental |
Greater Sand-Plover | Anarhynchus leschenaultii | Rare/Accidental |
White-fronted Plover | Anarhynchus marginatus | |
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Whimbrel | Numenius phaeopus | |
Eurasian Curlew | Numenius arquata | Near-threatened |
Bar-tailed Godwit | Limosa lapponica | Near-threatened |
Common Sandpiper | Actitis hypoleucos | |
Green Sandpiper | Tringa ochropus | |
Marsh Sandpiper | Tringa stagnatilis | |
Wood Sandpiper | Tringa glareola | |
Common Greenshank | Tringa nebularia | |
Ruddy Turnstone | Arenaria interpres | Near-threatened |
Red Knot | Calidris canutus | Rare/Accidental Near-threatened |
Ruff | Calidris pugnax | Rare/Accidental |
Curlew Sandpiper | Calidris ferruginea | Vulnerable |
Sanderling | Calidris alba | Rare/Accidental |
Little Stint | Calidris minuta | |
Pectoral Sandpiper | Calidris melanotos | |
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Black-winged Pratincole | Glareola nordmanni | Near-threatened |
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Parasitic Jaeger | Stercorarius parasiticus | Rare/Accidental |
Pomarine Jaeger | Stercorarius pomarinus | |
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Sabine's Gull | Xema sabini | Rare/Accidental |
Franklin's Gull | Leucophaeus pipixcan | Rare/Accidental |
African Skimmer | Rynchops flavirostris | Rare/Accidental |
Brown Noddy | Anous stolidus | |
Black Noddy | Anous minutus | |
Sooty Tern | Onychoprion fuscatus | |
Bridled Tern | Onychoprion anaethetus | |
Black Tern | Chlidonias niger | Rare/Accidental |
White-winged Tern | Chlidonias leucopterus | |
Arctic Tern | Sterna paradisaea | Rare/Accidental |
Sandwich Tern | Thalasseus sandvicensis | |
West African Crested Tern | Thalasseus albididorsalis | Rare/Accidental |
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Greater Flamingo | Phoenicopterus roseus | |
Lesser Flamingo | Phoeniconaias minor | Near-threatened |
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White-tailed Tropicbird | Phaethon lepturus | |
Red-billed Tropicbird | Phaethon aethereus | Rare/Accidental |
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Wilson's Storm-Petrel | Oceanites oceanicus | |
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European Storm-Petrel | Hydrobates pelagicus | |
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel | Hydrobates castro | |
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Great Shearwater | Ardenna gravis | |
Sooty Shearwater | Ardenna grisea | Near-threatened |
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White Stork | Ciconia ciconia | |
Yellow-billed Stork | Mycteria ibis | Rare/Accidental |
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Ascension Frigatebird | Fregata aquila | Rare/Accidental Vulnerable |
Magnificent Frigatebird | Fregata magnificens | Rare/Accidental |
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Cape Gannet | Morus capensis | Endangered |
Red-footed Booby | Sula sula | Rare/Accidental |
Brown Booby | Sula leucogaster | |
Masked Booby | Sula dactylatra | |
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Reed Cormorant | Microcarbo africanus | |
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Olive Ibis | Bostrychia olivacea | |
Sao Tome Ibis | Bostrychia bocagei | Endemic Critically endangered |
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Little Bittern | Botaurus minutus | |
Black Heron | Egretta ardesiaca | |
Little Egret | Egretta garzetta | |
Western Reef-Heron | Egretta gularis | |
Striated Heron | Butorides striata | |
Squacco Heron | Ardeola ralloides | Rare/Accidental |
Western Cattle-Egret | Ardea ibis | |
Great Egret | Ardea alba | Rare/Accidental |
Yellow-billed Egret | Ardea brachyrhyncha | Rare/Accidental |
Gray Heron | Ardea cinerea | |
Purple Heron | Ardea purpurea | |
Black-headed Heron | Ardea melanocephala | Rare/Accidental |
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Osprey | Pandion haliaetus | Rare/Accidental |
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Palm-nut Vulture | Gypohierax angolensis | |
White-backed Vulture | Gyps africanus | Rare/Accidental Critically endangered |
Black Kite | Milvus migrans | |
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Western Barn Owl | Tyto alba | |
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Principe Scops-Owl | Otus bikegila | Endemic Critically endangered |
Sao Tome Scops-Owl | Otus hartlaubi | Endemic Vulnerable |
African Scops-Owl | Otus senegalensis | |
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Malachite Kingfisher | Corythornis cristatus | |
White-bellied Kingfisher | Corythornis leucogaster | |
Blue-breasted Kingfisher | Halcyon malimbica | |
Pied Kingfisher | Ceryle rudis | |
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European Roller | Coracias garrulus | |
Broad-billed Roller | Eurystomus glaucurus | Rare/Accidental |
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Red-footed Falcon | Falco vespertinus | Vulnerable |
Eurasian Hobby | Falco subbuteo | Rare/Accidental |
Lanner Falcon | Falco biarmicus | Rare/Accidental |
Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus | |
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Red-headed Lovebird | Agapornis pullarius | Introduced species |
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Gray Parrot | Psittacus erithacus | Endangered |
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Eurasian Golden Oriole | Oriolus oriolus | Rare/Accidental |
Sao Tome Oriole | Oriolus crassirostris | Endemic Vulnerable |
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Fork-tailed Drongo | Dicrurus adsimilis | |
Velvet-mantled Drongo | Dicrurus modestus | |
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Sao Tome Paradise-Flycatcher | Terpsiphone atrochalybeia | Endemic |
Black-headed Paradise-Flycatcher | Terpsiphone rufiventer | |
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Lesser Gray Shrike | Lanius minor | |
Newton's Fiscal | Lanius newtoni | Endemic Critically endangered |
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Sao Tome Prinia | Prinia molleri | Endemic |
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Sedge Warbler | Acrocephalus schoenobaenus | Rare/Accidental |
Great Reed Warbler | Acrocephalus arundinaceus | Rare/Accidental |
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Gray-rumped Swallow | Pseudhirundo griseopyga | Rare/Accidental |
Banded Martin | Neophedina cincta | |
Bank Swallow | Riparia riparia | Rare/Accidental |
Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica | |
Western House-Martin | Delichon urbicum | |
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Willow Warbler | Phylloscopus trochilus | Rare/Accidental |
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Garden Warbler | Sylvia borin | Rare/Accidental |
Dohrn's Thrush-Babbler | Sylvia dohrni | |
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Principe White-eye | Zosterops ficedulinus | Endemic Endangered |
Sao Tome White-eye | Zosterops feae | Endemic Near-threatened |
Black-capped Speirops | Zosterops lugubris | Endemic |
Principe Speirops | Zosterops leucophaeus | Endemic |
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Chestnut-winged Starling | Onychognathus fulgidus | |
Splendid Starling | Lamprotornis splendidus | |
Principe Starling | Lamprotornis ornatus | Endemic |
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Principe Thrush | Turdus xanthorhynchus | Endemic Critically endangered |
Sao Tome Thrush | Turdus olivaceofuscus | Endemic |
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Spotted Flycatcher | Muscicapa striata | |
Common Nightingale | Luscinia megarhynchos | Rare/Accidental |
Collared Flycatcher | Ficedula albicollis | Rare/Accidental |
Whinchat | Saxicola rubetra | Rare/Accidental |
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Principe Sunbird | Anabathmis hartlaubii | Endemic |
Newton's Sunbird | Anabathmis newtonii | Endemic |
Sao Tome Sunbird | Dreptes thomensis | Endemic Vulnerable |
Olive Sunbird | Cyanomitra olivacea | |
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Principe Golden-Weaver | Ploceus princeps | Endemic |
Southern Masked-Weaver | Ploceus velatus | Introduced species |
Village Weaver | Ploceus cucullatus | Introduced species |
Giant Weaver | Ploceus grandis | Endemic Near-threatened |
Black-headed Weaver | Ploceus melanocephalus | |
Sao Tome Weaver | Ploceus sanctithomae | Endemic |
Red-headed Quelea | Quelea erythrops | |
Black-winged Bishop | Euplectes hordeaceus | Introduced species |
Golden-backed Bishop | Euplectes aureus | Introduced species |
White-winged Widowbird | Euplectes albonotatus | Introduced species |
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Bronze Mannikin | Spermestes cucullata | Introduced species |
Chestnut-breasted Nigrita | Nigrita bicolor | |
Common Waxbill | Estrilda astrild | Introduced species |
Southern Cordonbleu | Uraeginthus angolensis | Introduced species |
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Pin-tailed Whydah | Vidua macroura | Introduced species |
Eastern Paradise-Whydah | Vidua paradisaea | Introduced species |
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House Sparrow | Passer domesticus | Rare/Accidental |
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Sao Tome Short-tail | Motacilla bocagii | Endemic Vulnerable |
Western Yellow Wagtail | Motacilla flava | Rare/Accidental |
African Pied Wagtail | Motacilla aguimp | |
White Wagtail | Motacilla alba | Rare/Accidental |
Plain-backed Pipit | Anthus leucophrys | Rare/Accidental |
Tree Pipit | Anthus trivialis | Rare/Accidental |
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Yellow-fronted Canary | Crithagra mozambica | Introduced species |
Principe Seedeater | Crithagra rufobrunnea | Endemic |
Sao Tome Grosbeak | Crithagra concolor | Endemic Critically endangered |
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