Familiar Chat
Familiar ChatFamiliar ChatFamiliar ChatFamiliar Chat

Familiar Chat

Oenanthe familiaris

Silhouette: PhyloPic · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Masai Mara National Reserve
29 Verified sightings at Masai Mara National Reserve From 2019 to 2026
3,084 Verified sightings across all 37 parks From 2019 to 2026
November Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ 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 Masai Mara National Reserve

Northern Wheatear
LC

Northern Wheatear

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oenanthe oenanthe

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Isabelline Wheatear
LC

Isabelline Wheatear

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oenanthe isabellina

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Capped Wheatear
LC

Capped Wheatear

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oenanthe pileata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Pied Wheatear
LC

Pied Wheatear

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oenanthe pleschanka

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Abyssinian Wheatear
LC

Abyssinian Wheatear

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oenanthe lugubris

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Sooty Chat
LC

Sooty Chat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Myrmecocichla nigra

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
White-browed Robin-Chat
LC

White-browed Robin-Chat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cossypha heuglini

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
African Gray Flycatcher
LC

African Gray Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Bradornis microrhynchus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Northern Anteater-Chat
LC

Northern Anteater-Chat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Myrmecocichla aethiops

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Silverbird
LC

Silverbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Empidornis semipartitus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Northern Black-Flycatcher
LC

Northern Black-Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melaenornis edolioides

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
White-browed Scrub Robin

White-browed Scrub Robin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Erythropygia leucophrys

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

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

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Familiar Chat in Masai Mara National Reserve?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Familiar Chat sighting in Masai Mara National Reserve, based on 29 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Familiar Chat in Masai Mara National Reserve?

November has the highest sighting rate for Familiar Chat in Masai Mara National Reserve in our monthly data.

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