The nightingale is a night singer, easily recognizable on many continents for its melodic and unique voice. Having once known a ringing and bewitching trill, a person cannot forget it. This small bird has become a source of inspiration for many creative people. And now famous writers glorify it in their publications.
general description
The voice of a nightingale, which was heard, settles forever in the memory and heart. More than one romantic event is associated with these ringing melodies. Young males attract a couple with a kind of romantic whistle.
The nightingale is not 100% a migratory bird. If we talk about the inhabitants of the northern regions, they are forced to go to warmer regions for the winter. Representatives of southern latitudes do not leave their location throughout the year. Despite the fact that the nightingale sings around the clock, many consider it a nocturnal bird. The fact is that in the dark, natural sounds subside, and the melody becomes more ringing and audible.
Being near the forest thicket at dawn, you can clearly hear nightingale songs. They differ in tone, have different focus and directly depend on the circumstances. If the bird senses danger, the sounds produced become similar to the croaking of a frog.
Nightingale singing
The most famous singer among nightingales is the eastern or common nightingale. Everyone in Russia has heard his melody. Nightingale singing has long inspired people. In folk art and original works, this image has become synonymous with beauty, youth and romance. What is the difference between the singing of a nightingale and the vocalizations of other birds? First of all, the complexity, solemnity and expressiveness of the melody. The pattern and nature of vocalization depends on the area: everywhere has its own traditions of performing arts, just like people. Nightingales learn from each other! They perfectly pick up a tune and are able to imitate the voices of other birds. They often sing in chorus, tune in to each other, and hear their neighbors singing from afar. As a result, the overall song covers a large area. The most experienced singers set the tone for the rest. Their vocalizations are especially appreciated by researchers and amateur ornithologists. Older males do not like to sing and settle near other nightingales. They protect their privacy, occupy large territories, and rarely come into conflict with their neighbors. On spring nights, their song sounds first, in silence, while the other birds are still silent. The manner of performance is measured, with pauses, the melody is complex, the depth and purity of the sound amaze listeners. It is from such experienced and talented singers that the youngsters learn. Experts distinguish different types of sounds in the vocalizations of nightingales: peals (trills), pipes (a series of whistles), calls, crackling and clicking. They also have an alarm signal that sounds like restless snoring. When looking after their chicks, nightingales make a sound reminiscent of “taktaktri”. THIS IS INTERESTING! The stable expression “Kursk nightingale” means in the Russian tradition a compliment to the owner of a beautiful voice, a talented singer.
Sometimes this is pronounced with irony in the meaning of “noble talker” or “chattering talker.” The nightingale is a symbol of Kursk; there is a thematic museum in the city. Many contests and competitions are named after the Kursk nightingale. It is believed that the singing of this bird is distinguished by its richness and complexity of execution (up to 24 sounds). We invite you to listen to the vocalization of the nightingale.
Appearance of the bird
It is generally accepted that a skilled singer has beautiful and unusual plumage with a bizarre color. In fact, there is nothing unusual in the appearance of the nightingale; it looks mediocre. From a distance it can be compared to an ordinary sparrow. In the chest area there are gray spots like those of a song thrush, while the upper part of the body is duller.
The wood singer's sparrow has small lively black eyes, gray plumage with sparse brown patches, sometimes with a reddish-olive tint, and a thin beak. The orange, pointed tail is characteristic.
Kursk nightingale
This sonorous nickname was given to famous stage voices: in Tsarist Russia - singer Nadezhda Plevitskaya, in the forties of the last century - tenor Ivan Surzhikov, now this is the name of the public's favorite, People's Artist of the Russian Federation Lev Leshchenko.
What remains surprising is the fact that, despite all the reverence and pride of the local “feathered stars,” they are not on the coat of arms of the Kursk region. But there are three flying partridges. This is how the main symbol of the region was bypassed.
Unlike the end of the nineteenth century, when bird hunting in the Kursk province threatened the warblers with extinction, in our time there is no need to include them in the Red Book. There are about two thousand pairs in the region alone. But this does not mean that they do not need protection, like all living things around us. It’s nice to meet and see off the day with pure singing, which gives a feeling of peace and makes you smile.
Main varieties
According to species distribution, forest singers are usually divided into common and southern. The first representatives choose European territories, the lands of harsh Siberia, for nesting. They avoid arid regions in every possible way, limiting themselves to extended lowlands. Southern nightingales prefer the southern part of the hemisphere.
Both birds choose forest thickets located close to water bodies for settlement. The appearance is also very similar, and the voices are difficult to distinguish at first. However, the melodies produced by southern singers are more universal and subdued, without harsh sounds. As for the ordinary western representative, it is distinguished by a light belly. The dense nightingale lives in the vastness of Asia and Transcaucasia, but its vocal abilities leave much to be desired.
Lifestyle
The nightingale, in comparison with the majority of birds , is asocial; it prefers solitude. The optimal habitat for it is light forests or, conversely, dense impenetrable forests. The ideal place for the forest singer is considered to be large thickets, remote from populated areas and noisy industrial facilities, which receive a sufficient amount of sunlight. Representatives of the migratory species easily overcome long distances, finding suitable climatic conditions and territories for wintering.
The songs published differ radically depending on the circumstances and the period of the year. The loudest sounds are made by males at night in the spring, when they return to their native lands after wintering. In this way, singers try to attract the attention of females and announce to their relatives about the occupied place in the forest. During the courtship period, the nightingale produces quiet melodies for its chosen one. During the daytime, the songs become monotonous, reaching the audience only in short bursts.
Reproduction and lifespan
Nightingales begin searching for a mate in the spring, usually in May. If the birds have flown in from warm regions, they wait for the buds to open and the first leaves to appear. Only then do the nightingales begin to sing. Loud trills are reserved for all females. When a specific one is chosen, the male sings to it quietly, insinuatingly.
While the male is searching, he complements the trills with flapping of his outstretched wings. After mating, the female begins to build a nest. It is composed of foliage and herbs. The latter are taken rough. Fallen leaves are used. The female builds a cup-shaped nest, on the ground, or in vegetation near the surface of the ground.
The female nightingale also hatches the chicks on her own. The male only sings for her. After the chicks are born, the father becomes silent. The trills reveal the location of the nest to predators.
Nightingale chicks in the nest
At 2 weeks of age, the chicks fly out of the nest. Until this time, both parents feed the young. Having flown out of the nest, the nightingales find themselves face to face with the world. Foxes, stoats, rats, cats, and weasels can attack and eat them. If their attacks can be avoided, the birds become sexually mature by the age of one year. By the age of 5, nightingales die of old age. In captivity, birds live 2-3 years longer.
Habitat
The nightingale is widely distributed in England. A skilled singer is a common sight in park areas, forests, and squares. It is often found in the following countries:
- Hungary;
- Portugal;
- Spain;
- Austria;
- Persia;
- Africa.
Nesting mainly occurs in Europe, southwestern Asia, the Balkans, and northwestern Africa. Nightingales leave cold regions for wintering in Uganda, the outskirts of the young part of the Sahara. Currently, the songbird represents the national symbol of Iran.
The nightingale prefers to live in tangled and dense thickets of deciduous forests. Impenetrable bushes and various hedges are the optimal place to live. The forest singer is often found in areas adjacent to natural pools, ponds, and lakes. Also, the habitat is low bushes and along sandy coastal dunes, dry hilly slopes.
Nutritional Features
The main diet of the small agile bird is represented by plants, fruits, nuts, and seeds. In case of food shortage, which is typical during the breeding season, the nightingale feeds on various invertebrates and insects. In autumn, pillows of fallen leaves are a favorite place for hunting. In them birds get:
- Zhukov;
- ants;
- spiders;
- maggots;
- earthworms;
- caterpillars
An attack on a prey in flight occurs very quickly; the nightingale is no less agile in extracting insects from tree bark without flying from its place. Rarely, winged insects in the form of small butterflies and moths act as prey. With the onset of autumn, the diet is replenished with berries in abundance. New feeding opportunities open up for the nightingale; he enjoys eating currants, thorns, elderberries, and wild cherries.
What do nightingales eat in nature?
The nightingale hunts invertebrates all year round, both in breeding grounds and in wintering grounds. The bird eats:
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- Zhukov;
- ants;
- caterpillars;
- flies;
- spiders;
- earthworms.
At the end of summer and autumn it collects berries and seeds.
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The bird feeds on the ground in fallen leaves and, as a rule, finds prey inside the dense cover. Can also pick up insects on low branches and leaves. Sometimes it hunts from a branch, falls on prey on the ground, and makes aerial pirouettes, chasing an insect.
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The nightingale is difficult to see in its natural habitat due to its brown plumage that matches the color of the branches and foliage. Fortunately, the long, broad red tail allows the bird to be identified among natural cover.
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When feeding on the ground, the nightingale is always active. The body is held in a slightly vertical position, moves on long legs, the bird jumps with its tail raised. The nightingale easily moves along the forest floor, makes deft jumping movements, and swings its wings and tail.
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