Bird Guide

Familiar Chat vs Northern Wheatear

Familiar Chat (Oenanthe familiaris)

Familiar Chat

Oenanthe familiaris

Small19 gShrubland

The familiar chat is a dumpy short-tailed bird 14–15 cm (5.5–5.9 in) long. The adult's upperparts are a dull brown with warmer brown ear coverts behind the eye. The underparts vary from off-white to pale grey-brown, and the rump and outer tail feathers are rufous with a dark brown tip. The central tail feathers are dark brown. The short straight bill and the legs and feet are black. The sexes are alike, but the juvenile is similar to the adult but has buff spots above and a scaly pattern on the breast. The familiar chat has a soft "shek-shek" alarm call. The song is a warbling trill.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: flamelily · CC0
Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

Northern Wheatear

Oenanthe oenanthe

Small25 gGrassland

The northern wheatear is larger than the European robin at 14.5–16 cm (5.7–6.3 in) in length. The northern wheatear also has a wingspan of 26–32 cm and weighs 17–30 g. Both sexes have a white rump and tail, with a black inverted T-pattern at the end of the tail. The plumage of the summer male has grey upperparts, buff throat and black wings and face mask. In autumn it resembles the female apart from the black wings. The female is pale brown above and buff below with darker brown wings. The male has a whistling, crackly song.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Northern Wheatear
Recorded by Hugo Leclerc · Song · Arrondissement de Brest (near Ouessant), Finistère, Bretagne, France · CC BY 4.0
Photo: Alexis Lours · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Familiar Chat and Northern Wheatear.