?Nightingale Conservation status: Least concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Muscicapidae Genus: Luscinia Species: L. megarhynchos
Binomial name
Luscinia megarhynchos (Brehm, 1831)

This article is about the bird. For other uses, see Nightingale (disambiguation).

The Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), also known as Rufous Nightingale and Common Nightingale, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae. It, and similar small European species, is often called a chat. The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (960x1280, 167 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Nightingale ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Agnotozoa Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Myxozoa (slime animals) Superphylum Deuterostomia (blastopore becomes anus) Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Many - see section below. ... Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ... Genera many:see text The Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae is a large family of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World. ... Species See text. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Christian Ludwig Brehm (January 24, 1787 - June 23, 1864) was a German pastor and ornithologist. ... Leopold I 1831 (MDCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The name Nightingale can refer to: Florence Nightingale, the nurse The Owl and the Nightingale John Keats Ode to a Nightingale Norah Jones Nightingale Oscar Wildes The Nightingale and the Rose John Crowleys The Nightingale Sings at Night The popular British song of the World War II period... Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ... Orders Many - see section below. ... Genera 22 genera, see text The Thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly but not exclusively in the Old World. ... Genera 22 genera, see text The Thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly but not exclusively in the Old World. ... Genera See text. ... Genera many:see text The Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae is a large family of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World. ... World map showing Europe Political map (neighboring countries in Asia and Africa also shown) Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... Genera See text. ...

It is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in forest and scrub in Europe and south-west Asia. The distribution is more southerly than the very closely related Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia. It nests low in dense bushes. It winters in southern Africa. // Long-distance land bird migration Many species of land migratory birds migrate very long distances, the most common pattern being for birds to breed in the temperate or arctic northern hemisphere and winter in warmer regions, often in the tropics or the temperate zones of the southern hemisphere. ... World map showing Europe Political map (neighboring countries in Asia and Africa also shown) Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... Binomial name Luscinia luscinia (Linnaeus, 1758) The Thrush Nightingale, Luscinia luscinia, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae. ... For other uses, see Africa (disambiguation). ...

The Nightingale is slightly larger than the European Robin, at 15-16.5 cm length. It is plain brown above except for the reddish tail. It is buff to white below. Sexes are similar. Binomial name Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) The European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family, but is now considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae. ...

The male Nightingale is known for his singing, to the extent that human singers are sometimes admiringly referred to as nightingales; the song is loud, with an impressive range of whistles, trills and gurgles. Although it also sings during the day, the Nightingale is unusual in singing late in the evening; its song is particularly noticeable at that time because few other birds are singing. This is why its name (in several languages) includes "night". Recent research has shown that the birds sing even more loudly in urban or near-urban environments, in order to overcome the background noise. The most characteristic feature of the song is a loud whistling crescendo, absent from the song of Thrush Nightingale. It has a frog-like alarm call. Ercole de Roberti: Concert, c. ...

The eastern races L. m. hafizi and L. m. africana have paler upperparts and a stronger face-pattern, including a pale supercilium. The term supercilium is a name for a plumage feature present on the heads of many bird species. ...

Culture

• The Nightingale is the national bird of Iran.
• In popular traditions, the Nightingale announces the coming of spring, and is a symbol of love.
• The French traditional song The Nightingale Which Flies inspired Tchaikovsky when composing his Humoresque opus 10-2.

A young Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1874) Tchaikovsky redirects here. ...

References

• BirdLife International (2004). Luscinia megarhynchos. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

External links

• Nightingale videos on the Internet Bird Collection

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Luscinia megarhynchos