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  • Nightingale

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Let Nature Sing

On the 17 October, we filled the UK with bird song. Find out why

Takeover success

Nightingale

Nightingale
Nightingale
  • Scientific name: Luscinia megarhynchos
  • Bird family: Chats
  • UK conservation status: Red
  • Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Nightingale song audio

Your browser does not support this audio feature.

Mathias Ritschard, Xeno-canto

Key information

Nightingales are slightly larger than robins, with a robust, broad-tailed, rather plain brown appearance. They are skulking and extremely local in their distribution in the UK, while in much of southern Europe they are common and more easily seen.

The famous song is indeed of high quality, with a fast succession of high, low and rich notes that few other species can match.

What they eat:

Insects.

Measurements:

Length:
15-17cm
Wingspan:
23-26cm
Weight:
17-24g

Population:

UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.
UK breeding:
6,700 males

Identifying features:

Nightingale

Nightingale illustration
Feather colour: Brown Cream/buff White
Leg colour: Pink
Beak: Black Brown Medium length Thin
Natural habitats: Woodland Grassland Wetland

Similar birds:

Male redstart
Redstart
Adult robin
Robin

Where and when to see them

The nightingale is a secretive bird which likes nothing better than hiding in the middle of an impenetrable bush or thicket. In the UK they breed mostly south of the Severn-Wash line and east from Dorset to Kent. The highest densities are found in the south east - Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Kent and Sussex.

* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  • Resident
  • Passage
  • Summer
  • Winter
Nightingale distribution map

Nightingales arrive in April and sing until late May and early June. They leave again from July to August. They can be heard singing throughout the day, as well as at night.

  • jan
  • feb
  • mar
  • apr
  • may
  • jun
  • jul
  • aug
  • sep
  • oct
  • nov
  • dec

RSPB reserves

  • RSPB Highnam Woods
  • RSPB Stour Estuary
  • RSPB Blean Woods
  • RSPB Cliffe Pools
  • RSPB Minsmere
  • RSPB North Warren
  • RSPB Northward Hill
  • RSPB Pulborough Brooks
  • RSPB Wolves Wood

Video

Close up of a nightingale perched in a tree.

Close up of a nightingale perched in a tree.

Nightingale video screenshot

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