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 Volcanoes National Park
41 Verified sightings at Volcanoes National Park From 2019 to 2026
3,084 Verified sightings across all 37 parks From 2019 to 2026
June 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 Volcanoes National Park

African Stonechat
LC

African Stonechat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Saxicola torquatus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher

White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dioptrornis fischeri

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

White-browed Robin-Chat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cossypha heuglini

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
African Dusky Flycatcher
LC

African Dusky Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Muscicapa adusta

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
White-starred Robin
LC

White-starred Robin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pogonocichla stellata

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Archer's Robin-Chat

Archer's Robin-Chat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cossypha archeri

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Swamp Flycatcher
LC

Swamp Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Muscicapa aquatica

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Ashy Alseonax

Ashy Alseonax

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Muscicapa caerulescens

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Red-throated Alethe
LC

Red-throated Alethe

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chamaetylas poliophrys

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Pale Flycatcher

Pale Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Bradornis pallidus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Miombo Rock-Thrush
LC

Miombo Rock-Thrush

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Monticola angolensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Redcap Robinchat
LC

Redcap Robinchat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cossypha natalensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

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 Volcanoes National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Familiar Chat sighting in Volcanoes National Park, based on 41 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

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

June has the highest sighting rate for Familiar Chat in Volcanoes National Park in our monthly data.

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