European poets have frequently sung the praises of the nightingale. A small, plain-looking bird related to the thrushes, the nightingale has a big and melodious voice that it uses day and night.
The nightingale nests throughout much of Europe and western Asia. It flies to central Africa for the winter. The nightingale is a woodland bird, but it prefers low bushes to tall trees.
The nightingale is about 61/2 inches (17 centimeters) long. It has a brown body, reddish tail, cream-colored belly and chest, and large black eyes. Males and females tend to look the same.
Nightingales feed on insects and worms that they find on the ground. The nightingale's song is most often heard during spring and early summer. This period is the mating and nesting season, and the male may sing at any hour to proclaim his territory
A female nightingale builds a cup-shaped nest out of dry leaves, twigs, and grass. She lays four to six olive-colored eggs and sits on them for about two weeks. Only two weeks after hatching, the young birds are ready to leave the nest.
