Familiar Chat
Familiar ChatFamiliar ChatFamiliar ChatFamiliar Chat

Familiar Chat

Oenanthe familiaris

Silhouette: PhyloPic · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Table Mountain National Park
1,033 Verified sightings at Table Mountain National Park From 2019 to 2026
3,084 Verified sightings across all 37 parks From 2019 to 2026
March 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 Table Mountain National Park

Capped Wheatear
LC

Capped Wheatear

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oenanthe pileata

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Mountain Chat

Mountain Chat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oenanthe monticola

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
African Dusky Flycatcher
LC

African Dusky Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Muscicapa adusta

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Fiscal Flycatcher
LC

Fiscal Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sigelus silens

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Cape Rockthrush
LC

Cape Rockthrush

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Monticola rupestris

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Sentinel Rock-Thrush
NT

Sentinel Rock-Thrush

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Monticola explorator

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Karoo Scrub-Robin

Karoo Scrub-Robin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tychaedon coryphoeus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
African Stonechat
LC

African Stonechat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Saxicola torquatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Red-winged Starling
LC

Red-winged Starling

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Onychognathus morio

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
Cape White-eye
LC

Cape White-eye

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Zosterops virens

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
Southern Double-collared Sunbird
LC

Southern Double-collared Sunbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cinnyris chalybeus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Cape Bulbul
LC Endemic

Cape Bulbul

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pycnonotus capensis

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

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 Table Mountain National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Familiar Chat sighting in Table Mountain National Park, based on 1,033 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Familiar Chat in Table Mountain National Park?

March has the highest sighting rate for Familiar Chat in Table Mountain National Park in our monthly data.

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