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Nightingale

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Birds

                   iNightingale

                             Conservation status

   Least Concern (LC)
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Aves
   Order:   Passeriformes
   Family:  Muscicapidae
   Genus:   Luscinia
   Species: L. megarhynchos

                                Binomial name

   Luscinia megarhynchos
   ( Brehm, 1831)

   The Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), also known as Rufous
   Nightingale and Common Nightingale, is a small passerine bird that was
   formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now
   more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae.
   It, and similar small European species, is often called a chat.

   It is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in forest and scrub in
   Europe and south-west Asia. The distribution is more southerly than the
   very closely related Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia. It nests low
   in dense bushes. It winters in southern Africa.

   The Nightingale is slightly larger than the European Robin, at 15-16.5
   cm length. It is plain brown above except for the reddish tail. It is
   buff to white below. Sexes are similar.

   The male Nightingale is known for his singing, to the extent that human
   singers are sometimes admiringly referred to as nightingales; the song
   is loud, with an impressive range of whistles, trills and gurgles.
   Although it also sings during the day, the Nightingale is unusual in
   singing late in the evening; its song is particularly noticeable at
   that time because few other birds are singing. This is why its name (in
   several languages) includes "night". Recent research has shown that the
   birds sing even more loudly in urban or near-urban environments, in
   order to overcome the background noise. The most characteristic feature
   of the song is a loud whistling crescendo, absent from the song of
   Thrush Nightingale. It has a frog-like alarm call.

   The eastern races L. m. hafizi and L. m. africana have paler upperparts
   and a stronger face-pattern, including a pale supercilium.

Culture

     * The Nightingale is the national bird of Iran.
     * In popular traditions, the Nightingale announces the coming of
       spring, and is a symbol of love.
     * The French traditional song The Nightingale Which Flies inspired
       Tchaikovsky when composing his Humoresque opus 10-2.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightingale"
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