Photo: james_birdtourasia / CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Common Nightingale
Luscinia megarhynchos
Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Europe & Northern Asia.
Found across 13 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) is a member of the Muscicapidae family found in Europe & Northern Asia. Adults weigh 19.6 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Muscicapidae Chats, Old World Flycatchers
- Genus Luscinia
- Species megarhynchos
Quick facts
- Weight
- 19.6 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Common Nightingale is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense woodland, it uses a wide range of foraging strategies.
Migration
The Common Nightingale is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) belongs to the Muscicapidae family of the order Passeriformes. It is found across Europe & Northern Asia. Its distribution covers PAL c, w.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 19.6 g, with a wing length of about 8.4 cm and a tail of around 6.8 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 6.8 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Common Nightingale?
The Common Nightingale is a small bird that weighs around 19.6 g.
Where does the Common Nightingale live?
The Common Nightingale is found across Europe & Northern Asia with a range covering PAL c, w, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Common Nightingale belong to?
The Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) belongs to the Muscicapidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Common Nightingale eat?
The Common Nightingale is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Common Nightingale migrate?
The Common Nightingale is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Common Nightingale endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Common Nightingale make?
1 real field recording of the Common Nightingale — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Common Nightingale's range?
The Common Nightingale has a mapped global range of about 6.8 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
Best Bird Feeders for Garden Songbirds
How to choose a bird feeder for garden songbirds — the feeder styles compared, the seed they prefer, where to hang it, and how to keep birds safe. A decision framework grounded in real data, with no mystery picks.
Meet the Muscicapidae
A field guide to the Muscicapidae family — 355 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.