Common Nightingale
Common NightingaleCommon NightingaleCommon NightingaleCommon Nightingale

Common Nightingale

Luscinia megarhynchos

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Plitvice Lakes National Park
7 Verified sightings at Plitvice Lakes National Park From 2019 to 2026
8,491 Verified sightings across all 37 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month highest sighting rate
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted at dawn and dusk

About the Common Nightingale

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

Caucasian nightingale (L. m. africana) – the Caucasus... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Plitvice Lakes National Park

European Robin
LC

European Robin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Erithacus rubecula

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
Black Redstart
LC

Black Redstart

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phoenicurus ochruros

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Collared Flycatcher
LC

Collared Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ficedula albicollis

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Spotted Flycatcher
LC

Spotted Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Muscicapa striata

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Whinchat
LC

Whinchat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Saxicola rubetra

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
European Stonechat

European Stonechat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Saxicola rubicola

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Common Redstart
LC

Common Redstart

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phoenicurus phoenicurus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
European Pied Flycatcher
LC

European Pied Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ficedula hypoleuca

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Northern Wheatear
LC

Northern Wheatear

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oenanthe oenanthe

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Red-breasted Flycatcher
LC

Red-breasted Flycatcher

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Ficedula parva

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Western Black-eared Wheatear
LC

Western Black-eared Wheatear

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oenanthe hispanica

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Chaffinch
LC

Chaffinch

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Fringilla coelebs

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~30%
2 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~30%
3 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
4 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~30%
5 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
6 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
7 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
~20%
8 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
9 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
10 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
11 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~10%
12 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
13 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
14 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
15 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
16 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
17 Plitvice Lakes National Park 🇭🇷 Croatia
<5%
18 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
19 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
20 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
21 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
22 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
23 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
24 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
25 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
26 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
27 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
28 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
29 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
30 Hohe Tauern National Park 🇦🇹 Austria
Insufficient data
31 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
Insufficient data
32 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
33 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
34 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
35 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
Insufficient data
36 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
37 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Common Nightingale in Plitvice Lakes National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Nightingale sighting in Plitvice Lakes National Park, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Common Nightingale in Plitvice Lakes National Park?

June has the highest sighting rate for Common Nightingale in Plitvice Lakes National Park in our monthly data.

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