The nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) is a small bird. It used to be put in the thrush family Turdidae. Now it is put on the Old World flycatchers, a group often called the chats or chat-thrushes. Its resemblance to thrushes is an example of convergent evolution.
It is a migratory insectivorous species. It breeds in forests and scrubs in Europe and south-west Asia. The distribution is more southerly than the very closely related thrush nightingale Luscinia luscinia. It nests on the ground in or next to dense bushes. It passes the winter southern Africa. Studies have shown that nightingales seem to choose places to breed that meet certain criteria (Wink 1973):