Common Nightingale

The Common Nightingale keeps to cover and often slips through dense shrubs or low growth rather than staying out in the open. Its plumage is plain brown above with a reddish tail, and the underparts are pale, so the main clue is usually its movement and voice.

It sings loudly, often at night as well as in the day, and the male can keep going from a hidden perch. The song runs through whistles, trills, and gurgling notes, with a long rising whistle that carries well in towns; the alarm call is frog-like.

Look for it in thick scrub, forest edge, and damp places, usually near the ground. It feeds on insects and their larvae, worms, caterpillars, spiders, and other small invertebrates, with berries also becoming important in summer and autumn. Populations in Europe migrate to Africa for winter.