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The Thrush Nightingale is similar in size to the Sparrow. The upper parts are plain olive-brown; the under parts are lighter; the throat and the middle of the abdomen are white; the breast and flanks with the easy appreciable dark mottles. The tail is with reddish tinge. Both sexes are similar; all seasonal plumages are similar too. It is distinguished from other passerines of the same size and exterior by the combination of the color of plumage and the slightly rounded tail; the absence of the neat supercilium and the dark strips on the head, the greenish and the yellowish tinges and the neat mottles in the plumage. The autumn plumage is almost similar to breeding ones. Juveniles have the light mottles on the upper parts and the scaly under parts; are distinguished from other juvenile Thrushes by the slightly rounded rusty-brown tail. Weight 22-31 grams, length 16-20, wing 8,4-9,4, wingspan 25-29 cm.

Biology

The Thrush Nightingale is common breeding migrant. It inhabits the scrub thickets in flood-lands, deciduous forest, groves and gardens, often near the water, on the plains and in the mountains on up to 1000-1450 m. On the migration it visits the forest-belts, reed-beds and thickets of tall weeds. Appears in the end of April - early May, the latest migrants recorded in the end of May. The Thrush Nightingale is fairly considered the best singer. It sings much at the night when other birds do not sing. Also it sings at the sunrise and in the afternoon. The singing male usually sits in the bushes or low in the crones, among the foliage, and rare openly. The singing continues till the feeding of the nestlings. It breeds in separate pairs at 70-200 m from each other. The nest is built on the ground under the grass or twig, between the roots, very rare in blackthorn or blackberry on 2-3 cm above the ground; it is built from the dry tree leaves and grass and is lined with the thin grass, bast strips and some hair for 4-5 days by the female only. Clutches of 3-6 (usually 4-5) eggs is found in mid-May - mid-June. Only female incubates for 12-16 days. Both parents feed juveniles fledged at 10-11 days old, in the end of June – July. Repeated breeding after the losing of the first nest is common. Autumn migration starts in August, latest migrants recorded in early October. The Thrush Nightingales depart singly on the night time.