Photo: Alan Manson / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Tractrac Chat
Emarginata tractrac
Tractrac Chat (Emarginata tractrac) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Africa.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Tractrac Chat (Emarginata tractrac) is a member of the Muscicapidae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 20.8 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Muscicapidae Chats, Old World Flycatchers
- Genus Emarginata
- Species tractrac
Quick facts
- Weight
- 20.8 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Tractrac Chat is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Tractrac Chat is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Tractrac Chat (Emarginata tractrac) is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family, part of the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across Africa. Its distribution covers AF sw.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 20.8 g, with a wing length of about 8.8 cm and a tail of around 5.2 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 1 million km².
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Tractrac Chat?
The Tractrac Chat is a small bird that weighs around 20.8 g.
Where does the Tractrac Chat live?
The Tractrac Chat is found across Africa with a range covering AF sw, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Tractrac Chat belong to?
The Tractrac Chat (Emarginata tractrac) belongs to the Muscicapidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Tractrac Chat eat?
The Tractrac Chat is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Tractrac Chat migrate?
The Tractrac Chat is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Tractrac Chat endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
How large is the Tractrac Chat's range?
The Tractrac Chat has a mapped global range of about 1 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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A field guide to the Muscicapidae family — 355 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.