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An abundant common summer breeder on Mallorca, the Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), may not be recognised by its plumage, but it will certainly be recognised by its song. From late April, islanders will start to hear the beautiful song, where males try to outcompete each other to attract a female, with their songs incorporating more and more elaborate notes. I have even heard one in competition with the Great Reed Warbler in a small patch of reeds - the Nightingale prevailed.
Megarhyunchos comes from Ancient Greek, and ‘mega’ is the Greek word for large, and ‘rhynchus’ the word for beak.

Poets and playwrights have been inspired by the song, which is a beautiful, mellow, varied song, mixed with pure whistles and rattles. Food consists of insects, Spiders, Woodlice, Snails and Earthworms, and they near to the ground, where a bulky, loose cup nest is made from plant material, and lined with fine grasses and feathers. 4 - 5 pale blue eggs with fine red-brown speckles are laid. Their length is 16.5cm with a wingspan of 23 - 26cm and a weight of 20 - 28g, roughly the size of a Starling.
Adults are a fairly uniformed russet-brown on the upperparts, with a warmer tone to the rump and upper tail coverts.

The tail however is a bright chestnut-brown with dark central feathers. the face has a buff eye ring and the underparts are a dull cream-white, with the vent and under tail coverts a brighter cream-buff. The bill is dark grey and the legs a pale brown. But from April to August, wherever you are at the marshes, in the Pine forests, the Holm and Turkey Oak woodlands, parks or gardens, you will hear this beautiful bird singing its heart out, seeing it however, can be another matter, how many times I have watched a particular tree, listening to the song, only to see the bird eventually move no-where near to where I thought it was.