Familiar Chat (Oenanthe familiaris)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Familiar Chat

Oenanthe familiaris (Wilkes, 1817)

20 gWeight

The familiar chat (Oenanthe familiaris) is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae.

Busiest months: November · Most records: South Africa, Namibia, Ghana

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Familiar Chat has been recorded at 203 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 21 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Rooi-ElsSouth Africa1,469 records
  2. Harold Porter Botanical GardensSouth Africa510 records
  3. Avis DamNamibia416 records
More places
  1. Ondudu LodgeNamibia388 records
  2. Benfontein NRSouth Africa318 records
  3. Suikerbosrand NRSouth Africa312 records
  4. Amurum Forest ReserveNigeria239 records
  5. Daan Viljoen Game ReserveNamibia239 records
  6. Karoo NPSouth Africa225 records
  7. Table Mt. NP – Cape Point SectionSouth Africa213 records

Countries and regions with the most records

South AfricaNamibiaGhanaNigeriaTanzaniaMalawiKenyaEswatini

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The familiar chat (Oenanthe familiaris) 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.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Familiar Chat?

The Familiar Chat weighs around 20 g.

Where does the Familiar Chat live?

Its breeding range: Africa: western, central, eastern, southern. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Namibia and Ghana.

When is the best time to see the Familiar Chat?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Familiar Chat endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Familiar Chat as Least Concern.

What does the Familiar Chat eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Familiar Chat in?

It belongs to the family Chats, Old World Flycatchers (Muscicapidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Weight
20 g
Habitat
Shrubland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
83 mm
Tail
60 mm
Bill
18 mm
Tarsus
24 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: western, central, eastern, southern

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Chats, Old World Flycatchers Muscicapidae
Genus
Oenanthe

Other birds in the genus Oenanthe

Northern WheatearNorthern WheatearOenanthe oenantheAtlas WheatearAtlas WheatearOenanthe seebohmiCapped WheatearCapped WheatearOenanthe pileataBuff-breasted WheatearBuff-breasted WheatearOenanthe bottaeRusty-breasted WheatearRusty-breasted WheatearOenanthe frenataIsabelline WheatearIsabelline WheatearOenanthe isabellinaHeuglin's WheatearHeuglin's WheatearOenanthe heugliniiHooded WheatearHooded WheatearOenanthe monachaDesert WheatearDesert WheatearOenanthe desertiWestern Black-eared WheatearWestern Black-eared WheatearOenanthe hispanicaPied WheatearPied WheatearOenanthe pleschankaEastern Black-eared WheatearEastern Black-eared WheatearOenanthe melanoleuca
Familiar Chat

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Isidro Vila Verde. ↗

WebP · 1070 px

Heard it but can't see it? Mingji identifies birds by sound and photo, on your phone.

In other languages