The common nightingale, a plain brown bird with a reddish tail, famous for one of the most beautiful songs in nature. Only males sing, often at night as well as by day. It breeds in forest and scrub from Europe to Mongolia and winters in Africa.
Quick answers
What is it?Bird
Carnivore?Insects only
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inEurope, Asia, Africa
HabitatForest, Scrub
ColoursBrown, Cream
SizeTiny
Length15–16.5 cm
Legs2
Covered inFeathers
Lives alone
Lives for1–3 years
Can fly
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Breeds in Europe, North Africa and western and central Asia; winters in sub-Saharan Africa.
- What it eats
- Insects.
- Conservation
- Least Concern (IUCN Red List)
Did you know
A plain brown bird whose males can sing up to 250 different song types.
Unpaired males can sing through the night for 7 to 8 hours to attract a mate.
Its name means "night songstress", though it is the male that sings.
Often confused with
On these lists
Sources
Last reviewed
Play
Could you have guessed it?
A photo, a few hints, one guess. Same 438 animals.
