This well known British songster, like other thrushes, spends its time in thick scrub and woodlands. Its melodious song has been the inspiration of poets and song writers, despite the bird's simple coloration. Somewhat larger than its cousin, the Robin, the Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) is delightfully arrayed in rich beiges and earthy browns.
The upper parts are somewhat darker than the lower and the tail is somewhat redder. Unlike its song, its call is similar to that of a frog, more of a croak. It is common in Europe.
Nightingales arrive in Britain for the summer in April and stay until August. At that time the males begin to sing their melodious song to attract a mate. They sing both day and night. Once they have found a mate and are building their nests, the singing stops. They winter in western tropical Africa.
Preferred habitat is scrub thickets which afford an ideal place for nesting. The nest is made of grasses, leaves and moss. There are five or six eggs laid. They are spotted with green or brown. It takes about 11 days for the eggs to hatch. Only the female incubates the eggs but both parents tend the young.
These birds forage on the ground looking for insects and invertebrates.
Class: Aves | Order: Passeriformes | Family: Muscicapidae | Genus: Luscinia
