Thrush Nightingale
Luscinia luscinia
Very similar to Common Nightingale, but more dusky brown (not reddish-brown), with a duller and darker rufous tail and a mottled brown (not plain and sandy) breast. Their songs can be confusingly similar, but Thrush Nightingale is more monotonous, less varied, and slower, resembling that of Song Thrush. Calls include a bright but difficult-to-locate “teek”, and a low, dry rattle. Breeds in thick, damp, deciduous forest as well as well-wooded parks and gardens. Winters in tangled, often damp, thickets and brushy vegetation. Turns up in a wide range of habitats on passage, including drier areas. Feeds on invertebrates and berries.
Identification
An adult thrush nightingale is about 16 centimetres (6.3 in) long with a wingspan of approximately 18 centimetres (7.1 in). The head, nape and the whole of the upper parts of the thrush nightingale are dark brown with a slight olive tinge. The colour is much deeper than that of the nightingale and is not at all rufous. The upper tail-coverts are less olivaceous and the tail feathers are dark rufous-brown. The lores and ear-coverts are brownish-black and the chin and throat are pale buff or whitish, mottled with brown, and are paler in colour than the nightingale. The sides of the throat are spotted brown and the pale feathers of the breast have brown central bands giving the breast a mottled appearance. The under tail-coverts are buff, sometimes barred or marked with brown. The wing feathers and wing-coverts are dark brown and less rufous than the nightingale. The beak, legs and feet are brown and the irises are dark brown. The sexes are similar to each other in appearance and the juveniles are darker and more mottled. There is a single moult in July and August at the end of the breeding season.
Taxonomy
Genus: Luscinia; Family: Muscicapidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Luscinia luscinia
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Luscinia
Range and habitat
The thrush nightingale is a migrant species. It breeds in eastern Europe and the western part of temperate Asia. The northern limit of its summer range extends to Denmark, southern Finland, Norway and Sweden, the Baltic States, the Republic of Karelia, Kostroma, Vologda, Perm, Kazakhstan, Turkestan and Altai. The southern limit extends from Austria and the Czech Republic, through Romania, Bulgaria, southern Russia, Ukraine, the Crimea and northern Caucasus. It overwinters in Africa south of the Sahara. It is an occasional visitor to the British Isles.<p>In its breeding range, the thrush nightingale is found in damp deciduous woodland typically with alder and birch. It favours thick undergrowth with brambles, dense shrubs and tangled vegetation in swampy places and near water. In its winter quarters it is found in dense patches of thorn bush, especially in valley bottoms near water courses, and sometimes in thick vegetation at the edge of woodland.<p>The bird is a host of the acanthocephalan intestinal parasite Apororhynchus silesiacus.
- Breeding range
- PAL : n, c Europe to c Russia
- Non-breeding range
- se AF
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Bougainville Honeyeater
Stresemannia bougainvillei
A mostly uniform grayish-brown honeyeater with a slightly lighter gray throat and underside and difficult-to-observe slight mottling on the forehead and crown. Restricted to primary montane forest, especially with areas of bamboo, above 700 meters of elevation. Similar to female Red-capped Myzomela, but larger and much paler above, and not as olive-green below. Voice includes a sequence of 4-5 whistled notes rising and falling, and raspy “chhht” notes.
Swallow-tailed Gull
Creagrus furcatus
The antithesis of confusing northern gulls, Swallow-tailed is stunning and distinctive. Breeding adults are mostly pearly gray with a black head, red eyering, pinkish legs, and a pale-tipped bill with a white spot at the base. In flight, note striking three-toned wing pattern with gray, white, and black. Nonbreeding adults have a white head with thick black mascara around the eye. Juveniles similar to nonbreeding adults but darker above with a scaly pattern and an entirely dark bill. Breeds on the Galapagos Islands; highly pelagic for the rest of the year, found in offshore waters as far south as central Chile. Not likely to be seen from land. Forages for squid at night.
Greater Roadrunner
Geococcyx californianus
A huge, ground-dwelling cuckoo, bane of coyotes. Streaky brown overall with a very long tail and short, shaggy crest. Surprisingly iridescent in good light, with purple and green tones on wings and tail. Usually seen on the ground in dry desert habitats with patches of thick vegetation; sometimes perches on fences or rocks, especially when singing. Runs swiftly after large insects, lizards, and other prey. Unmistakable in most of range; overlaps locally with Lesser Roadrunner in west Mexico. Greater has more streaking on the throat and center of breast, instead of clear buffy on Lesser. Listen for very low-pitched cooing song.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.