The West African Batis uses humid forest and edges, catching small invertebrates from a perch. Plumage and range here are limited to the occulta population in an older broad-species account.
For the former Batis poensis subspecies occulta, the male has a very dark grey head, slate-grey back, white eyebrow and throat, and a narrow black breast band. The female's band is chestnut and narrower, with a paler back.
The Batis occulta species page lists humid forest and describes taking small invertebrates by sallying from a perch.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.