Best time to see: mid Apr to mid Aug
Key facts
Famous songster more often heard than seen, with a vibrant virtuoso song
Habitat: open woodland with dense low ground cover, such as coppiced woods
Uncommon summer visitor in marked decline
Recognition
Warm brown back, rust-red tail; 16–17 cm
Skulking bird, usually hidden deep in vegetation; feeds on insects,
Sings its vibrant, virtuoso song by night to attract females at first, and later when nesting by day also
Lifecycle
The male spreads its tail, flutters its wings and bows in its courtship display
Nest is a cup well hidden in dense undergrowth close to the ground, such as in a bramble patch
One brood of 4–5 mottled reddish eggs, May to June
© David Harrison