Most girls we know absolutely LOVE learning about animals! Here, Miss O Club member Essay, shares the life of the Nightingale with us....

When it’s not singing, the nightingale is difficult to locate and seldom noticed. It lives hidden in thick bushes, dense thickets, and wooden areas, usually near rivers or ponds. It nests in Europe, western Asia, and northwestern Africa and spends winters in Africa, south of the Sahara Desert. Most of a nightingale’s life is spent on or near the ground. The male shares a rather small area with his mate and does not allow any other nightingale near. The nightingale flies very little, usually only when it has to chase invaders out of its territory. It has a slender body and strong legs. It moves in quick hops and looks for food in dead leaves and other waste. Often perched on a low branch, it leans over to catch its prey – small insects, butterflies, caterpillars, ant eggs, and larvae of all kinds. In September it eats a few berries as well. One can hear the song of the nightingale only from mid-April to mid-June. It is certainly one of the most beautiful bird songs. The nightingale sings at night as well as in the daytime. Its night song seems more remarkable because the noises of the day have died down. On a still night, you can hear the nightingale’s song from 1,500 to 2,500 feet away! Although the nightingale doesn’t fly much during the summer, it leaves Europe at the end of the good weather. Its strong wings can take it to central Africa, where it spends the winter in milder conditions.