The Egyptian free-tailed bat has fine, dense fur which is greyish brown, shading darker on the head and back and paler on the underparts, particularly around the throat.

It is a fast flier and in a night's foraging can cover large distances over open terrain.

Prey is taken both in flight and plucked from the ground and includes beetles, caterpillars, flies, moths, spiders, termites alates and wasps.

[2] Molecular sequence data indicates T. aegyptiaca's closest relative is Chaerephon jobimena of Madagascar.

These two species plus Tadarida brasiliensis of the Americas form a clade believed to be about 9.8 million years old.