# Nightingale (*Luscinia megarhynchos*)

> The nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) is a plain brown chat famed for its powerful, varied nocturnal song in European and western Asian thickets. It winters in Africa, eats insects and spiders, weighs about 20 g, and is listed Least Concern, though UK breeding numbers have fallen sharply with scrub loss.

- **Category:** Bird
- **Conservation status (IUCN):** Least Concern
- **Range:** Breeds in thickets across Europe and western Asia; winters in Africa.
- **Canonical page:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/nightingale/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Aves
- **Order:** Passeriformes
- **Family:** Muscicapidae
- **Genus:** Luscinia

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Luscinia megarhynchos |
| Diet | Insectivore |
| Habitat | Scrub, woodland edge, and dense thickets |
| Lifespan | Around 5 years in the wild (varies by population and captivity). |
| Weight | About 0.02 kg typical adult mass (sex and region vary). |
| Top speed | Up to roughly 30 km/h when moving at speed. |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |

## Voice bigger than plumage

Males sing rich phrases of whistles, trills, and crescendos, often at night when fewer birds compete acoustically. Daytime song continues in dense cover where the bird itself is hard to see.

## Insects in the undergrowth

Diet is mainly beetles, ants, caterpillars, spiders, and other invertebrates gleaned from leaf litter and low shrubs; berries may be taken in autumn.

## European thickets to African winters

Breeds in scrub, woodland edge, and dense thickets across Europe and western Asia; winters in Africa. In Britain it favours coppice and coastal scrub in the southeast.

## UK scrub specialist in trouble

Globally Least Concern, but UK pairs have crashed as dense breeding scrub was cleared. Conservation focuses on restoring young woodland and scrub mosaics.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do nightingales only sing at night?

No — they sing by day too, but night song is especially noticeable and culturally famous.

### Why is the nightingale's plumage so plain?

Cryptic brown feathers help a ground-foraging bird hide in thickets; the song, not colour, drives mate attraction.

### Where do UK nightingales go in winter?

They migrate to Africa for the non-breeding season. Native range summary: Breeds in thickets across Europe and western Asia; winters in Africa.

### What do nightingales eat?

Mostly insects and other invertebrates found in leaf litter and low vegetation.

### Are nightingales rare in Britain?

They have become scarce breeders, mainly in southeast England, even though the species is Least Concern globally.

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/nightingale/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.