The philomela nightingale, an emeritus songbird

The

is a discreet bird that is spotted in our gardens in the spring thanks to its recognizable song among a thousand.

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What is a nightingale?

The common nightingale (

) is a bird in the family Muscicapidae.

Muscicapidae are small to medium-sized passerines, between 10 to 20 cm in length.

Among the passerines are also the chickadee and the house robin.

The nightingale feeds mainly on berries, seeds and insects such as spiders and ants, which it captures on the ground.

In popular traditions, the nightingale heralds spring, as it returns to our gardens in May, but it is also and above all a symbol of love.

Read also5 birds to observe in your garden in spring

For example, Guy de Maupassant, in his work

speaks of the

.

And in the poem

by the Persian poet Hafez, the nightingale sings of its love for a rose.

How to recognize a nightingale?

The philomela nightingale is often difficult to see because of its inconspicuous plumage.

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The philomela nightingale is a small round-bodied, copulating bird.

It is larger than the robin, measuring about 17 cm when fully grown and weighing between 18 g and 27 g.

The nightingale philomela is often difficult to spot because of its inconspicuous plumage which blends perfectly into the branches and foliage.

It is still distinguished by its red tail.

Its eyes are black and its beak is two-tone, brown above and pink below.

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The nightingale is the loudest of all birds.

Its song is strong and reputed to be melodious, it is a series of whistled notes.

In spring, it can spend long hours singing, day and night.

Where does the nightingale live?

The nightingale is a nocturnal migratory bird that spends its winters in Africa.

It returns to France in the spring to start its reproduction period which takes place from May to June.

During this period, the female establishes her nest in dense vegetation and generally at less than 50 cm in height.

She can raise up to 2 broods and lay 4 or 5 eggs.

The male vigorously defends its territory and feeds the chicks.

Read alsoHow to promote the nesting of birds in your garden?

This bird can live in the forest but also in parks and gardens, preferably near water.

It frequents sunny areas sheltered from wind and rain.

How does a nightingale behave?

The nightingale is a bird very comfortable on the ground.

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Lively and agile, the philomela nightingale is a very comfortable bird on land: it spends a lot of time on the ground, in hedges and dense bushes where it can hide while feeding.

Its flight is low and silent, and its migration departure is at night.

It is a territorial bird that puffs out its throat to sing and thus indicate its presence to other males.

Very discreet and shy, the nightingale is difficult to observe.

SEE ALSO

- A superb flight of migratory birds in the sky of Bordeaux