The common nightingale or simply nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), also known as rufous nightingale, is believed to have been named more than 1,000 years ago, with the term nightingale meaning night songstress in Anglo-Saxon (nihtingale) and is often heard singing at night. Gale also derives from a Germanic word meaning songstress. Known for its powerful and beautiful song, it has a robust, broad-tailed, rather plain brown appearance. It is best heard during the early spring, when it sings to attract a mate. Once they are paired, it can go very quiet. The nightingale is often mistaken for the robin, as the nightingale is about the same size and the female robin is very similar in appearance to the nightingale. It is a morning bird and the nightingale can often be heard singing it's loud song at dawn. In urban areas, the nightingale will sing even louder at dawn to make up for the extra background noise. The song is loud, with an impressive range of whistles, trills and gurgles. It's song is particularly noticeable at night because few other birds are singing. This is why it's name includes "night" in several languages. Nightingales travel vast distances every year in order to migrate between the north and the south.
