Familiar chat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Familiar chat |
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The familiar chat (Oenanthe familiaris) is a small passerine bird. This means it's a type of songbird. It belongs to the Old World flycatcher family called Muscicapidae. This bird is very common in Africa, especially south of the Sahara desert. You can often find it living in rocky and mountainous areas. It also likes to live around human homes.
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Understanding the Familiar Chat's Name
The familiar chat got its first scientific description from a French naturalist named François Levaillant in 1805. He called it "Le Traquet Familier." Later, an English publisher, John Wilkes, gave it the scientific name Motacilla familiaris in 1817.
Over time, scientists learned more about birds. They found that the familiar chat was closely related to birds in the genus Oenanthe, which are often called wheatears. Because of this, the familiar chat was moved into the Oenanthe genus. This helps scientists group birds more accurately based on their relationships.
Different Types of Familiar Chats
There are 7 different types, or subspecies, of the familiar chat. They live in various parts of Africa:
- O. f. falkensteini – Found from Senegal to northwest Ethiopia, south Uganda, and Tanzania.
- O. f. omoensis – Lives in southeast Sudan, southwest Ethiopia, northwest Kenya, and northeast Uganda.
- O. f. angolensis – Found in west Angola and north Namibia.
- O. f. galtoni – Lives in east Namibia, west Botswana, and northern South Africa.
- O. f. hellmayri – Found from southeast Botswana to south Mozambique and northeast South Africa.
- O. f. actuosa – Lives in east South Africa and Lesotho.
- O. f. familiaris – Found in southern South Africa.
What Does the Familiar Chat Look Like?
The familiar chat is a small, plump bird. It has a short tail and is about 14 to 15 centimeters (about 5.5 to 6 inches) long. Its upper body is a dull brown color. The feathers behind its eyes, called ear coverts, are a warmer brown.
Its belly can be off-white or a light grey-brown. The feathers on its rump (lower back) and the outer parts of its tail are a reddish-brown color. The tips of these feathers are dark brown. The central tail feathers are completely dark brown. Both its short, straight beak and its legs and feet are black.
Male and female familiar chats look very similar. Young familiar chats, called juveniles, look like the adults. However, they have buff-colored spots on their upper body and a scaly pattern on their chest.
Familiar Chat Sounds
The familiar chat has a soft "shek-shek" sound it uses as an alarm call. Its song is a pretty, warbling trill.
Familiar Chat Behaviour and Life Cycle
Reproduction and Nesting
Familiar chats are monogamous, meaning one male and one female bird pair up. They build a strong, cup-shaped nest. They use plant materials and line it with soft things like hair, wool, and feathers.
They usually place their nest in a hole in the ground. However, they also use holes in rock faces or even buildings. Sometimes, they will even use old nests built by other birds, like the sociable weaver.
A female familiar chat usually lays 2 to 4 greenish-blue eggs. These eggs have small reddish-brown speckles on them. The eggs hatch after about 13 to 15 days. Both parents help feed the baby birds, called nestlings. The nestlings are ready to leave the nest after another 13 to 15 days. Most familiar chats raise only one group of babies each year.
Daily Habits
You can often spot a familiar chat sitting on a rock. It also hops around on bare patches of soil. A fun habit of this bird is that it flicks its wings once or twice every time it moves.
Familiar chats are usually seen in small family groups of up to five birds. They are known for being quite tame and easy to approach.
What Do They Eat?
Familiar chats eat a variety of things. Their diet includes insects, fruit, and even animal fat. They also like to eat scraps of food found around homes or farms.
The Afrikaans name for this bird, "spekvreter," means "fat-eater." This name comes from a long time ago. The birds learned to eat the lard (animal fat) that early settlers, called voortrekkers, used to grease their wagon axles.
Images for kids
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O. f. hellmayri in Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa
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O. f. galtoni with termite prey
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O. f. hellmaryi, Graskop, South Africa
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