Common Nightingale

SCI Name:  Luscinia megarhynchos
Protonym:  Luscinia megarhynchos Handb.Naturgesch.Vog.Deutschl. p.356
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Muscicapidae / Luscinia
Taxonomy Code:  comnig1
Type Locality:  Germany.
Author:  Brehm, CL
Publish Year:  1831
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

LUSCINIA
(Muscicapidae; Ϯ Common Nightingale L. megarhynchos) L. luscinia  nightingale, glorious songstress  < cluere  to be famous; canere  to sing; in European folklore the Common Nightingale and the Thrush Nightingale L. luscinia vie for the title of best songstress; "101  SYLVIA LVSCINIA.  Luscinia Aedon?  Nightingale, Le Rosignol, Nachtigall, or Philomela." (T. Forster 1817); "Luscinia Forster, 1817, Synop. Cat. Brit. Birds, p. 14. Type, by monotypy, "Sylvia luscinia" = Luscinia megarhynchos Brehm." (Ripley in Peters 1964, X, 32). 
Synon. Aedon, Aedonis, Daulias, Lusciola, Oitrus, Pandicilla, Philomela.
● (?syn. Vireo Ϯ Black-whiskered Vireo V. altiloquus) "* Luscinia, s. philomela Americana; the yellow hooded titmouse." (Bartram 1792); "α.  Luscinia seu philomela americana.  The yellow hooded titmouse.  Die Amerikanische Nachtigall. CATESBY." (Zimmermann 1793); "Catesby did not describe or figure the "American Nightingale," but Edwards (Nat. Hist. vol. 3, p. 121) did, and as Zimmermann was citing his reference from Seligmann's work, where the figures and descriptions from Edwards and Catesby are badly mixed, it is not surprising that this is quoted as from Catesby.  This particular bird is in need of further investigation, as it is one of the chief references on which Motacilla calidris Linnaeus is founded.  It requires strong imagination to see in Edwards's plate 121 the bird we now know as Vireosylva calidris." (Richmond 1917); "Vireo altiloquus  ...  Messrs. Bangs and Penard (Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 67, p. 206, 1925) have clearly pointed out that Motacilla calidris Linnaeus (Syst. Nat., 10th ed., 1, p. 184, 1758), principally based upon "The American Nightingale" of Edwards (Nat. Hist. Bds., 3, p. 121, pl. 121, fig. inf.; Jamaica), is unrecognizable." (Hellmayr 1935).

luscinia
L. luscinia  nightingale, glorious songstress  < cluere  to be famous; canere  to sing.
● "99. MOTACILLA.  ...  Luscinia.  1. M. rufo-cinerea, genuum annulis cinereis. Fn. svec. 221.  Luscinia. Gesn. av. 592. Aldr. orn. l. 18. c. 2. Will. orn. 161. t. 41. Raj. av. 78. n. 3. Alb. av. 3. p. 49. t. 53.  Habitat in Europæ frondosis, noctu vespereque cantillans: tanta vox, tam parvo in corpusculo, tam pertinax spiritus; spiritu prius deficiens quam cantu. Plin. X: 29. Miratrix avis, nutritur ovis Formicarum." (Linnaeus 1758) (Luscinia).

megarhyncha / megarhynchos / megarhynchus
Gr. μεγα mega  much  < μεγας megas, μεγαλη megalē  great, long; ῥυγχος rhunkhos  bill.

SUBSPECIES

Common Nightingale (megarhynchos/africana)
SCI Name: Luscinia megarhynchos megarhynchos/africana
LUSCINIA
(Muscicapidae; Ϯ Common Nightingale L. megarhynchos) L. luscinia  nightingale, glorious songstress  < cluere  to be famous; canere  to sing; in European folklore the Common Nightingale and the Thrush Nightingale L. luscinia vie for the title of best songstress; "101  SYLVIA LVSCINIA.  Luscinia Aedon?  Nightingale, Le Rosignol, Nachtigall, or Philomela." (T. Forster 1817); "Luscinia Forster, 1817, Synop. Cat. Brit. Birds, p. 14. Type, by monotypy, "Sylvia luscinia" = Luscinia megarhynchos Brehm." (Ripley in Peters 1964, X, 32). 
Synon. Aedon, Aedonis, Daulias, Lusciola, Oitrus, Pandicilla, Philomela.
● (?syn. Vireo Ϯ Black-whiskered Vireo V. altiloquus) "* Luscinia, s. philomela Americana; the yellow hooded titmouse." (Bartram 1792); "α.  Luscinia seu philomela americana.  The yellow hooded titmouse.  Die Amerikanische Nachtigall. CATESBY." (Zimmermann 1793); "Catesby did not describe or figure the "American Nightingale," but Edwards (Nat. Hist. vol. 3, p. 121) did, and as Zimmermann was citing his reference from Seligmann's work, where the figures and descriptions from Edwards and Catesby are badly mixed, it is not surprising that this is quoted as from Catesby.  This particular bird is in need of further investigation, as it is one of the chief references on which Motacilla calidris Linnaeus is founded.  It requires strong imagination to see in Edwards's plate 121 the bird we now know as Vireosylva calidris." (Richmond 1917); "Vireo altiloquus  ...  Messrs. Bangs and Penard (Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 67, p. 206, 1925) have clearly pointed out that Motacilla calidris Linnaeus (Syst. Nat., 10th ed., 1, p. 184, 1758), principally based upon "The American Nightingale" of Edwards (Nat. Hist. Bds., 3, p. 121, pl. 121, fig. inf.; Jamaica), is unrecognizable." (Hellmayr 1935).

Common Nightingale (golzii)
SCI Name: Luscinia megarhynchos golzii
golzi / golzii
Dr W. H. T. Golz (1825-1898) German ornithologist (subsp. Apalis flavida, subsp. Luscinia megarhynchos).