Updates on the occurrence in Italy and biometrics of Thrush Nightingale (Luscinia luscinia)

Abstract

Thrush Nightingale is a difficult-to-identify species that occurs regularly in Italy; despite this, little is known about its temporal and geographical presence, the role of our country during migration, and biometric data. We update the phenology of the species in Italy, considering records from ringing activity and observations documented with photos. We found that the species was a regular migrant in the northeastern regions, while it was vagrant in the remaining parts of the country. Most records were registered in the post-breeding migration, with maximum values between August and September. We also analyzed the biometrics, including some considerations about the movements and age of the ringed individuals.

Keywords

• Thrush Nightingale
• ringing
• phenology
• Muscicapidae
• northeastern Italy