The Familiar Chat is a small African bird of rocky places and sparse woodland. Its rufous-orange rump and tail stand out against its grey-brown body.
The sexes look alike. The body is grey-brown to buff, with a rufous-orange rump and a dark pattern at the center and tip of the tail that forms an upside-down T in flight.
It lives on rocky slopes, in sparse woodland, and around rural buildings. From stones or fence posts it drops to the ground to catch invertebrates.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.