Familiar Chat
Oenanthe familiaris
The Familiar Chat (Oenanthe familiaris) is a uncommon chats, old world flycatchers, and alli found in 25 countries, weighing about 19 g. The familiar chat is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae.
About the Familiar Chat
The familiar chat is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is a common resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara in rocky and mountainous habitat and around human habitation.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
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.
Where it lives
When to see it
The Familiar Chat can be seen all year round, with peak activity in September. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Familiar Chat?
- The familiar chat is a dumpy short-tailed bird 14–15 cm (5.5–5.9 in) long. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Familiar Chat?
- The Familiar Chat is a small sized bird weighing about 19 g.
- Where can you see a Familiar Chat?
- The Familiar Chat occurs in 25 countries, including South Africa, Namibia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Lesotho.
- What birds look similar to a Familiar Chat?
- The Familiar Chat is most easily confused with the Isabelline Wheatear, the Western Black-eared Wheatear and the Brown Rock Chat.
- Is the Familiar Chat endangered?
- The Familiar Chat is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Familiar Chat for real
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