What Sounds Does a Nightingale Make?

Often appearing in poetry, the nightingale received its name and fame for its nocturnal songs. However, they sing during the day as well. These little birds lead a solitary life, spending most of the year in the forests of Europe and Asian before migrating to Africa for the winter.

  1. Description

    • Easily mistaken for a robin because of its brown color and size, the nightingale grows to an average height of approximately 15 cm, weighs between 15 and 22 grams and has a thin beak. The nightingale displays no distinguishing markings on its body, but it can be identified by its red-sided tail. Its wingspan stretches between 20 and 22 cm, though the bird spends most of its time on the ground or in low bushes. Strong, long legs support the little bird.

    Nesting

    • Nightingales mate during the spring and build their nest in dense thickets, low to the ground or even on the ground. They use grass, leaves and twigs to construct their cup-shaped nests. In the nest the female bird generally lays between two and five eggs. The eggs are pale blue or blue green in color with reddish brown speckles and mottling. The egg hatches in approximately two weeks. At 11 days old the young begin to fly. Within the next three weeks the young will leave the nest for good. A nightingale's life spans between one and three years.

    Song

    • Nightingales sing just before sunrise in order to announce and defend their territory. The quiet of this time of night allows their sounds to travel long distances, alerting any neighboring birds of their presence. Males also take advantage of the nightly quiet to attract a mate with their singing. Nightingales make a whistling crescendo sound when they sing. In 1832, English poet John Clare described the nightingale's sounds with the following words: chew, chee, cheer, up, chjeer, tweet, jug, wew, chur, woo and it.

    Food

    • Nightingales eat both plants and animals making them omnivorous birds. They sustain themselves on seeds, nuts, fruits such as berries, and insects such as ants and beetles. The nightingale's small size makes it food for many predators. Mammals such as rats, foxes and cats as wells as lizards and snakes feed on these birds. Some large birds of prey also hunt nightingales.