Bird Album
Karoo Chat
Emarginata schlegelii (Wahlberg, 1855)
16–18 cmLength23 gWeight
The Karoo chat (Emarginata schlegelii) is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae.
Busiest months: September · Most records: South Africa, Namibia
Where and when it's recorded
Karoo Chat has been recorded at 9 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Karoo NPSouth Africa218 records
- Spitzkoppe Nature ReserveNamibia100 records
- Augrabies Falls NPSouth Africa20 records
More places
- West Coast NPSouth Africa7 records
- Ondudu LodgeNamibia4 records
- Namibgrens Guest FarmNamibia2 records
- Kliphoek Salt PansSouth Africa2 records
- West Coast NP – Geelbek hides vicinitySouth Africa2 records
- Daan Viljoen Game ReserveNamibia1 record
Countries and regions with the most records
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 Karoo chat (Emarginata schlegelii) is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is a common resident breeder in southwesternmost Angola, western Namibia and western South Africa. Its habitat is Karoo and desert scrub in the south, extending to the escarpment zone in the north.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Karoo Chat?
The Karoo Chat is about 16–18 cm long and weighs around 23 g.
Where does the Karoo Chat live?
Its breeding range: Africa: southwestern. It is most often recorded in South Africa and Namibia.
When is the best time to see the Karoo Chat?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in September (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Karoo Chat endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Karoo Chat as Least Concern.
What does the Karoo Chat eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Karoo Chat in?
It belongs to the family Chats, Old World Flycatchers (Muscicapidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 16–18 cm
- Weight
- 23 g
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Varied
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 95 mm
- Tail
- 66 mm
- Bill
- 18 mm
- Tarsus
- 30 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: southwestern
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Chats, Old World Flycatchers Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Emarginata
Other birds in the genus Emarginata
Tractrac ChatEmarginata tractrac
Sickle-winged ChatEmarginata sinuata
White-tailed AletheAlethe diademata
Fire-crested AletheAlethe castanea
Karoo Scrub RobinTychaedon coryphoeus
Brown Scrub RobinTychaedon signata
Forest Scrub RobinTychaedon leucosticta
Bearded Scrub RobinTychaedon quadrivirgata
Miombo Scrub RobinTychaedon barbata
Kalahari Scrub RobinCercotrichas paena
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Marion Maclean. ↗
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