Familiar Chat

Oenanthe familiaris

Silhouette: PhyloPic · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
FamilyMuscicapidae (Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats)
GenusOenanthe (Wheatears and Allies)
SpeciesOenanthe familiaris (Familiar Chat)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Mana Pools National Park

4 Verified sightings at Mana Pools National Park From 2019 to 2026

3,084 Verified sightings across all 37 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Familiar Chat

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.

The familiar chat was illustrated and described by the French naturalist François Levaillant in Volume 4 of his Histoire naturelle des oiseaux d'Afrique published in 1805. He named the bird, "Le Traquet Familier" but did not give the species a binomial name. The binomial name Motacilla familiaris was introduced by the English publisher John Wilkes in 1817. The species was subsequently placed in the genus Cercomela introduced by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1856. Molecular phylogenetic studies published in 2010 and 2012 found that the genus Cercomela was polyphyletic with five species, including the familiar chat, phylogenetically nested within the genus Oenanthe. As part of a reorganization of the species to create monophyletic genera, the familiar chat was moved to the genus Oenanthe.

There are 7 recognised subspecies: O. f. falkensteini (Cabanis, 1875) — Senegal to northwest Ethiopia, south Uganda and Tanzania O. f. omoensis (Neumann... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Mana Pools National Park

Cossypha heuglini

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Muscicapa caerulescens

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Erythropygia quadrivirgata

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Erythropygia leucophrys

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Cichladusa arquata

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Muscicapa striata

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Melaenornis pammelaina

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Cossypha natalensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Luscinia luscinia

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Pinarornis plumosus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Cossypha humeralis

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Myioparus plumbeus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Golden Gate Highlands National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~50%
2	Waterberg Plateau Park	🇳🇦 Namibia	~40%
3	Namib-Naukluft National Park	🇳🇦 Namibia	~30%
4	Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~30%
5	Pilanesberg National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~20%
6	Kidepo Valley National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~20%
7	Addo Elephant National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
8	Table Mountain National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
9	Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
10	Etosha National Park	🇳🇦 Namibia	~10%
11	Nyungwe National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	~10%
12	Volcanoes National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	~10%
13	Awash National Park	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	~10%
14	South Luangwa National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	<5%
15	Liwonde National Park	🇲🇼 Malawi	<5%
16	Akagera National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	<5%
17	Mikumi National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
18	Ruaha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
19	Serengeti National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
20	Virunga National Park	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	<5%
21	Lake Mburo National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	<5%
22	Masai Mara National Reserve	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
23	Kruger National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
24	Kibale National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
25	Lower Zambezi National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	Insufficient data
26	Mana Pools National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	Insufficient data
27	Kafue National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	Insufficient data
28	Gorongosa National Park	🇲🇿 Mozambique	Insufficient data
29	Garden Route National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	Insufficient data
30	Hwange National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	Insufficient data
31	iSimangaliso Wetland Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	Insufficient data
32	Murchison Falls National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
33	Moremi Game Reserve	🇧🇼 Botswana	Insufficient data
34	Ngorongoro Conservation Area	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
35	Chobe National Park	🇧🇼 Botswana	Insufficient data
36	Tarangire National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
37	Queen Elizabeth National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data

← Back to Mana Pools National Park

Familiar Chat

About the Familiar Chat

Recent sightings of Familiar Chat in Mana Pools National Park

Closest Relatives at Mana Pools National Park

White-browed Robin-Chat

Ashy Alseonax

Bearded Scrub Robin

White-browed Scrub Robin

Collared Palmthrush

Spotted Flycatcher

Southern Black Flycatcher

Redcap Robinchat

Thrush Nightingale

Boulder Chat

White-Throated Robin-Chat

Grey Tit-Flycatcher

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found