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The sooty chat is an African songbird of the chat subfamily.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
It is 15 to 16 cm (6 to 6.25 inches) long, stocky and relatively short-tailed for a chat. The adult male's plumage is glossy black except for white patches on the upper wings that are usually visible or only partly concealed (as in the photograph at upper right) when the bird is at rest. The female and young are very dark brown. Voice: The song (in Kenya and northern Tanzania) is described as "prolonged, sweet and musical, sometimes given in flight, wee tewee tuweer, skwik-skueeeeer, cueee-eeeee-cuweeeeer, eee-euwee-tee, tseuwee-tew-skweeer-tsi-seet…." This species sometimes imitates other birds.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in July · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Rüppell's Black ChatMyrmecocichla melaenaRüppell's black chat is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae.
Congo Moor ChatMyrmecocichla tholloniThe Congo moor chat or Congo moor-chat is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae.
Learn the Sooty Chat for real
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