Familiar chat

Small bird, bill to tail15 cm. The familiar chat is a dumpy short-tailed bird 14–15 cm long. The adult’s upperparts are dark brown, and the face sides behind the eye are orange. The underparts vary from off-white to pale grey-brown, and the rump and outer tail feathers are orange. The central tail feathers are dark brown. The short straight bill and the legs and feet are black. The sexes are similar, but the juvenile is dark brown above and buff below, heavily marked with buff on the upperparts, and scaly on the breast.