Nightingale is a slim, brown bird a bit bigger and not so upright as the Robin with few distinguishing features, to the eye, apart from a warm rufous tail. It has fairly strong and quite long legs and spends most of its time on the ground or low in shrubs and bushes. It nests on the ground within or next to dense bushes. It is plain brown above except for the reddish tail. It is buff to white below. Sexes are similar. It is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in forest and scrub in Europe and south-west Asia, but is not found naturally in the Americas.
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 male Nightingale is known for his singing, to the extent that human singers are sometimes admiringly referred to as nightingales; the birdsong 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. . Singing at dawn, during the hour before sunrise, is assumed to be important in defending the bird's territory. This is why its name (in several languages) includes "night".
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