Luscinia megarhynchos
Silhouette: Stephan Sprinz · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The common nightingale, rufous nightingale or simply nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), is a small passerine bird which is known for its powerful and beautiful song, often described as one of the most beautiful sounds in nature. An Old World flycatcher, it belongs to a group of more terrestrial species, often called chats. Its range partly overlaps with that of the more northerly thrush nightingale (Luscinia luscinia), a closely related species with which hybrids have occurred.
The common nightingale belongs to a distinctive group of Old World flycatchers, known as chats, that were formerly thought to be thrushes. Genetic analysis showed that they were in fact types of flycatcher (Muscicapidae), with the resemblance to thrushes being the result of convergent evolution.
"Nightingale" is derived from "night" and the Old English galan, "to sing". The genus name Luscinia is Latin for "nightingale" and megarhynchos is from Ancient Greek megas, "great" and rhunkhos, "bill". Three subspecies are recognised: Western nightingale (L. m. megarhynchos) – western Europe, North Africa and Asia Minor, wintering in tropical Africa Wikipedia →
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Nightingale sighting in Nairobi National Park on a given day, based on 42 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 276th most-seen of the 371 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January to March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Nightingale in Nairobi National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to December, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Nightingale sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
21st of 26
Of the 26 parks where we can rate Common Nightingale sightings, Nairobi National Park ranks 21st at under 5%. The best odds are in Monfragüe National Park (Spain, about 30%), Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 30%) and Hortobágy National Park (Hungary, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Nightingale is recorded against all the birds logged in Nairobi National Park (42 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
