Flycatchers and chats · Perching birds
Thrush Nightingale
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Luscinia luscinia
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Voice
Song
Song
Song
How to recognize it
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16 cm, like a robin
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Plain greyish-brown upperparts
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Paler underparts, no rufous tail patches
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Song of whistles and clicks, low "whit" / "dserr"
About the species
Thrush Nightingale wears plain grey-brown above, with paler greyish-white underparts washed and mottled with brown. Its tail is darker and rufous-brown, which gives the otherwise muted plumage a small flash of warmer color.
It keeps close to cover, often low in thick growth, and the male sings a loud mix of whistles, trills, and clicks. The song can include a clear "pioo" note and a rougher "dserr", while the contact call sounds like a sharp "whit".
It breeds in damp woodland and tangled riverside thickets, usually near water, and nests on the ground in dense undergrowth. It feeds on earthworms, spiders, and insects, then adds berries in autumn. In summer it breeds in eastern Europe and western temperate Asia, and in winter it moves to Africa south of the Sahara.
Did you know?
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The phrase ends with a characteristic rattle
The thrush nightingale organizes its song around rhythm rather than melody, and every phrase ends with a brief percussive tambourine-like rattle that acts as a consistent structural close across the entire repertoire.
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Two hundred stylized phrases
The thrush nightingale's repertoire rivals the common nightingale's in size—up to 200 distinct phrase types—but unlike its western relative, each phrase type follows a consistent, stylized structure that is repeated rather than improvised upon.
Where to find
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Along canal banks, pond edges, and damp streamside thickets — especially where alder, willow, and nettles make a shady tangle, Thrush Nightingale gives itself away with song from low cover.
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In mature floodplain parks with dense elder and viburnum undergrowth, look for quick hops at ground level and a brief flash between stems.
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On overgrown river islands and reed-fringed banks, the male often sings from the top of a bush at dawn.
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In wet gullies and shrub patches near water, watch the leaf litter — feeding happens on the ground, almost under your feet.
