Species group · Birds

Nightingales

WAnimals has 3 species of nightingale, spread across 2 families (Cettiidae, Muscicapidae).

3 species
2 families
62 countries
178 parks
Weight
12 g – 24 g
Length
13 cm – 16.5 cm
Lifespan
2 – 8 years

Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 3.

All 3 species of nightingales on WAnimals

Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Conservation status

3 Least Concern

No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.

See the global conservation status

Where they live

Recorded in 62 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

Where to see them

Did you know…

  • It is heard far more than seen: it sings in explosive bursts from deep cover.

    From Cetti's Warbler

  • Its eggs are an intense brick red, a colour that is very unusual among European birds.

    From Cetti's Warbler

  • The nest is built by the male, but the female incubates and raises the chicks practically alone.

    From Cetti's Warbler

  • Its decline in the United Kingdom has been linked to browsing by introduced deer, which thins the understorey it depends on for nesting.

    From Common Nightingale

  • It eats insects and their larvae and spiders, with berries in autumn.

    From Common Nightingale

  • It winters in sub-Saharan Africa.

    From Common Nightingale

  • It is one of the three songsters of the Japanese forest, a traditional trio of songbirds that the country's culture regards as having the most beautiful song, together with the Japanese bush warbler and the Siberian blue robin.

    From Japanese Robin

  • Its song begins with a high, drawn-out trill followed by a descending series, and the males sing from inside the understorey, hardly ever showing themselves.

    From Japanese Robin

Ecosystems

See every species group · Explore the species one by one