Dense thickets, scrub, and undergrowth in deciduous woodland. Prefers areas with thick ground cover near water.
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Song & Call Comparison
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Song & Call Comparison
Common Nightingale
Chant
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.
Orange-flanked Bush-robin
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Geographic Range & Migration
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Geographic Range & Migration
Common Nightingale
Breeds in Europe and western Asia. Winters in sub-Saharan Africa. A long-distance migrant crossing the Sahara.
Orange-flanked Bush-robin
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Conservation Status Comparison
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Statut de conservation
Least Concern
Common Nightingale
Least Concern
Orange-flanked Bush-robin
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Identification Tips — How to Tell Them Apart
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How to Tell Them Apart
Common Nightingale
Plumage
Plain warm brown upperparts with a rufous-chestnut tail. Pale greyish-white underparts. Unremarkable appearance belies its remarkable voice.
Bec
Thin, pointed, dark brown bill
Orange-flanked Bush-robin
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About Each Bird (Descriptions)
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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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More Birds in Family
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