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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute	Fire-crested Alethe	Common Nightingale
Scientific Name	Alethe castanea	Luscinia megarhynchos
Order	Passeriformes	Passeriformes
Family	Muscicapidae	Muscicapidae
Conservation Status	Least Concern	Least Concern
Length	—	16.5 cm (6.5 in)
Wingspan	18.2 cm (7.2 in)	25.0 cm (9.8 in)
Weight	33.5 g (1.18 oz)	21.0 g (0.74 oz)
Diet	--	Insects and larvae, supplemented with berries in autumn. Forages on or near the ground in …
Clutch Size	2-3	4-5
Population Trend	—	—

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Size Comparison

Body Length

Fire-crested Alethe —

Common Nightingale 16.5 cm

Wingspan

Fire-crested Alethe 18.2 cm

Common Nightingale 25.0 cm

Weight

Fire-crested Alethe 33.5 g

Common Nightingale 21.0 g

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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

🌲 Forest

Fire-crested Alethe only

None

Common Nightingale only

🏖️ Coastal

Common Nightingale

Dense thickets, scrub, and undergrowth in deciduous woodland. Prefers areas with thick ground cover near water.

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Song & Call Comparison

Fire-crested Alethe

Common Nightingale

Song

Considered Europe's finest songster: an extraordinarily rich, loud, flute-like melody of bubbling trills, slow whistles, and a distinctive crescendo 'lu-lu-lu'. Sings day and night.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Fire-crested Alethe

Common Nightingale

Breeds in Europe and western Asia. Winters in sub-Saharan Africa. A long-distance migrant crossing the Sahara.

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Conservation Status

Least Concern

Fire-crested Alethe

Least Concern

Common Nightingale

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How to Tell Them Apart

Fire-crested Alethe

Common Nightingale

Plumage

Plain warm brown upperparts with a rufous-chestnut tail. Pale greyish-white underparts. Unremarkable appearance belies its remarkable voice.

Bill

Thin, pointed, dark brown bill

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About These Birds

Fire-crested Alethe

Common Nightingale

The common nightingale is celebrated as one of the finest songsters in the bird world, inspiring poets from Homer to Keats. Males sing complex phrases of over 250 different types, often at night during breeding season. Despite its famous song, the nightingale is a plain-looking bird that skulks in dense vegetation.

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Related Comparisons

Common Nightingale vs Downy Woodpecker

look-alike

European Robin vs Common Nightingale

same-family

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