Nightingale.

The Nightingale is a small passerine bird that belongs to the family of Flycatchers, known as Muscicapidae. It was previously grouped under the family of Thrushes, but was later reclassified as an Old World Flycatcher. The Nightingale belongs to the group of terrestrial species of birds that are known commonly as Chats. These birds are usually seen in forests, scrubs and hedges in most parts of Europe and also in the South- Western regions of Asia. The Nightingale is scientifically called as Luscinia megarhynchos and it is commonly called as the Common Nightingale or also known as Rufous.

The Nightingale is a bird that is a little larger in appearance when compared to the European Robin. It grows to about 15 to 16.5 centimetres in length and is very plain and simple in appearance. It is having a plumage that is brown in colour and the underparts of the bird are paler. They have a whitish coloured throat and the underparts are grey to brown in colour. The tail and the rump of these birds is reddish brown in colour and the bill is dark brown. The legs are flesh coloured and they have a large black eye that appears more pronounced due to the pale hued eye ring surrounding it. Both the male and the females are similar in appearance.

Their name Nightingale has been derived from the Anglo- Saxon word “Nihtingale”, which means “Night Songstress”, and it has been named so due to the fact that these birds sing during the day as well as the night. The song of the Nightingale is very pleasant to hear and it was previously assumed that the female birds sang the songs. However, it is the males that sing. The song of the Nightingale includes an extraordinary range of sounds that includes whistles, gurgles and trills, and these sounds are loud. The song of the Nightingale is chiefly recognizable at night due to the fact that there are fewer birds that sing at night time. The song is sung mostly by the single male birds so that the song may attract a mate. The bird emits a frog-like sound when threatened. Some of the birds sing during the early hours of dawn and this is thought to be important in helping the bird to defend its territory. It has been observed that the Nightingales will sing very loudly in the urban areas so that their song can be heard even above all the noise in urban areas.

The bird is a migratory species and it moves from the regions of Europe and Asia to the southern regions of Africa during the winter seasons. The nest of the Nightingale is built on the ground and it can be built in a region that is near or having very dense undergrowth. However, it has been seen that the Nightingale can breed in a wide range of habitats like in regions that are varying in height with the sea level, regions that are having a large variance in their canopy, etc. The bird is mostly insectivorous in nature, feeding on insects from the ground. However, they also feed on berries in the autumn season.