nightingale

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A European songbird (Luscinia megarhynchos) with reddish-brown plumage, noted for the melodious song of the male at night during the breeding season.
2. n. Any of various other nocturnal songbirds of the genus Luscinia.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A small sylviine bird of Europe, Asia, and Africa, belonging to the order Passeres, the suborder Oscines, the family Sylviidæ, and the genus Daulias. There are two kinds, formerly regarded as specifically identical, and variously called by ornithologists Motacilla or Sylvia or Philomela or Luscinia luscinia or philomela, and by other New Latin names. The two kinds are most commonly distinguished as Daulias luscinia or D. vera, the true nightingale, and D. philomela. The former is the one which is common in Great Britain, and to which the name nightingale specially pertains. The poets call both birds philomel or Philomela. The famous song of the nightingale, heard chiefly at night, is the love-song of the male, which ceases as soon as his propensities are gratified, as is usual with birds. The nightingale is migratory, like nearly all insectivorous birds of the northern hemisphere, extending its migrations far to the north of Europe in the spring. In England, where it appears about the middle of April and passes the summer, it is quite locally distributed, being very common in some places, and rare in or absent from others apparently equally suited to its habits. It haunts woods, copses, and hedgerows, especially where the soil is rich and moist, and is so secretive as to be oftener heard than seen. The favorite food of the nightingale is the larvæ of insects, especially the hymenopters, as wasps and ants. The nest is placed on the ground or near it; the eggs are 4 or 5 in number, pale olive-brown, about ⅘ inch long by a little over ½ inch broad. The length of the bird is 6¾ inches; its extent of wings is 10½ inches. The sexes are alike reddish-brown above, below pale grayish-brown, whitening on the throat and belly, the tail being brownish-red. This nightingale is sometimes specified as the brake-nightingale, when the other species (D. philomela) is called thrush-nightingale.
2. n. Some bird which sings sweetly and hence is likened to or mistaken for a nightingale. Thus, the bird called Virginia nightingale is a finch, the cardinal grosbeak, Cardinalis virginianus; that called Indian nightingale is a kind of thrush, Kittacincla macrura. Persian nightingales are various bulbuls of the family Pycnonotidæ. (See Pycnonotus.) The mock nightingale is the black-capped warbler, Sylvia atricapilla.
3. n. A sort of flannel scarf, with sleeves, designed to be worn by persons confined to bed. It was largely used by the sick and wounded in the Franco-German war, 1870–1.
4. n. A title popularly given to Jenny Lind, the famous Swedish singer.

Wiktionary

1. n. A European songbird, Luscinia megarhynchos, of the family Turdidae.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Zoöl.) A small, plain, brown and gray European song bird (Luscinia megarhynchos syn. Luscinia luscinia). It sings at night, and is celebrated for the sweetness of its song.
2. n. (Zoöl.) A larger species (Lucinia philomela), of Eastern Europe, having similar habits; the thrush nightingale. The name is also applied to other allied species.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. English nurse remembered for her work during the Crimean War (1820-1910)
2. n. European songbird noted for its melodious nocturnal song