A plain bird with a famous voice
The nightingale is a small, rufous-brown bird with a rusty tail. It is shy and spends most of its time hidden in thick undergrowth, so most people know it only by its song.
A repertoire built from many phrases
Males sing a huge variety of phrases, with whistles, trills, liquid notes and a rising crescendo that is easy to recognise once you have heard it. Individual males know well over a hundred different song types and shuffle them in sequence. Males that have not yet found a mate often sing at night, which is how the species became associated with after-dark music.
Declining in parts of Europe
Nightingales need dense, low scrub and coppiced woodland. Where this habitat is cleared or grazed too heavily, they disappear. In Britain the population has dropped sharply, and conservation groups now manage woodland specifically to bring them back.
Listen
What it sounds like: A rich, varied song with whistles, trills and a rising crescendo, often at night.
To hear independent recordings, try Freesound · Xeno-canto. Check each recording’s licence before reusing it. See Media & Sources.
Conservation status follows the IUCN Red List as we understand it at the time of writing. Assessments are revised regularly, so please check the IUCN Red List for the current listing.