Field Guide
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Nightingale
Luscinia megarhynchos
Not yet photographed by the community
Legendary nocturnal singer; skulking brown bird.
Species Profile
Red List (UK Birds of Conservation Concern) due to significant population decline since the 1990s
- Lifespan
- 3–5 years in the wild, occasionally longer
- Size & Weight
- 16–17 cm, wingspan 23–29 cm; 16–22 g
- Habitat
- Dense scrub, coppice, and woodland edges with thick undergrowth, particularly in southern England near suitable breeding grounds.
- UK Distribution
- Summer breeding visitor to south-east England, primarily Kent, Sussex, and East Anglia; arrives April–May and departs August–September. Absent from most of the UK.
- Diet
- Insectivorous, feeding mainly on invertebrates including beetles, flies, spiders, and small caterpillars, particularly in leaf litter and low vegetation.
- Prey
- Beetles, dipterans, spiders, small caterpillars, woodlice, and earthworms
- Predators
- Sparrowhawks, jays, crows, weasels, and domestic cats; eggs and young taken by magpies and crows
- Mating Season
- April to July
- Breeding
- Clutch size 4–5 eggs; incubation period 13–14 days; fledging period 11–13 days; typically single-brooded but may attempt second brood if first fails.
- Behaviour
- Males are highly territorial and renowned for their loud, complex song delivered both day and night, particularly at dusk. Skulking and secretive, spending much time on or near the ground in dense cover. Solitary and aggressive towards other males during breeding season.
- •The Nightingale's song contains over 1,000 different phrases and can be heard up to half a kilometre away, making it one of Europe's most powerful bird singers.
- •Despite their fame, Nightingales are rarely seen due to their elusive behaviour and preference for dense undergrowth; most people hear them before seeing them.
- •UK Nightingale populations have declined by approximately 90% since the 1990s, largely due to habitat loss and changes in woodland management.
- •Male Nightingales arrive on breeding grounds weeks before females and establish territories through song; they continue singing intensively even after females arrive.
- •Nightingales winter in sub-Saharan Africa and undertake a remarkable annual migration of over 6,000 km, crossing the Sahara Desert twice yearly.
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