As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Friday, 1 February 2013

Robins, not nightingales, are the mystery nighttime songsters, says RSPB


11:04am Tuesday 29th January 2013 in News

The RSPB’s wildlife enquiries team has had an influx of calls reporting singing nightingales. But the wildlife charity is assuring callers that the birds are likely to be robins, which sing at night even during winter.

Richard James, an RSPB wildlife advisor, said: “We’ve had lots of calls from people sharing what they had spotted during their Big Garden Birdwatch, but many also called rather excitedly to say they’d heard nightingales singing in the evenings. They were a little disappointed when we told them the birds were almost certainly robins, although they were still surprised to find out these birds sing at night.”

The main purpose of singing is to attract a mate and defend a territory. Robins are one of the few birds that hold a territory throughout the winter so continue to sing when the majority of other birds have stopped.

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