One of the 3 nightingales on WAnimals
Birds · Passeriformes · Muscicapidae
Common Nightingale
Luscinia megarhynchos
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
It is celebrated in culture and literature the world over for the male's extraordinary, powerful song, which can be heard by day as well as through the night — unusual among songbirds.
Weight
20 g – 24 g
Size
16.5 cm on average
Lifespan
2 years
Diet
Insectivore
Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.
Activity
Irregular activity
Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- Its decline in the United Kingdom has been linked to browsing by introduced deer, which thins the understorey it depends on for nesting.
- It eats insects and their larvae and spiders, with berries in autumn.
- It winters in sub-Saharan Africa.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - pneumatised bony skeleton (bird)
- Habitat & environment
- Dense woodland with understorey, hedgerows and scrub of Europe, western Asia and North Africa, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa
- Birth weight
- Tiny, blind and featherless at hatching
- Size at birth
- Tiny at hatching
- Sexual maturity
- 1 year
- Gestation / incubation
- 13-14 days
- Litter / clutch size
- 3 to 6 eggs per clutch (most commonly 4-5)
- Lifespan in captivity
- Documented record of up to 10 years in captivity
Sources consulted: A-Z Animals; Animal Diversity Web; Binocular Base; Wikipedia (Thrush nightingale, comparative species account)
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: From April to July in the Iberian Peninsula, when the male sings by day and by night from dense scrub; it is a trans-Saharan migrant.
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 152 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Common Nightingale — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Spotted Flycatcher
Muscicapa striata
Collared Flycatcher
Ficedula albicollis
European Robin
Erithacus rubecula
European Pied Flycatcher
Ficedula hypoleuca
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochruros
Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush
Monticola saxatilis
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about common nightingale.
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