The Nightingale

Actually, nightingales are inconspicuous small brown birds. Average in appearance, weight and behaviour. But when the males begin to sing on warm spring nights, the hearts of lovers beat just as fast as those of ornithologists. The nightingale’s song is anything but average and its complexity, with no less than two hundred different types of stanzas, outshines that of other songbirds. But what does the nightingale actually sing about and why? And why have generations of poets and composers been so fascinated by its song? Biologist Silke Kipper has been researching nightingales for over twenty years, she has spent countless spring nights listening to them in Berlin’s parks and in her book she gets to the bottom of the nightingale’s song and our fascination with it.

A knowledgeable yet light-footed portrait of probably the most popular songbird, its song, and a profound insight into the research and reception of nightingales at the same time.

»If you wish to learn about the migratory behaviour, learning ability, cultural status and singing talent [of the nightingale] in the most entertaining and sometimes very funny way, you won’t find a better source than this book.« Kai Spanke, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

»Silke Kipper researches the song of the nightingale and reveals preliminary findings in a charming report.« Sandra Danicke, Frankfurter Rundschau

»Author Silke Kipper devotes profound research to the nightingale, its incomparable song and its significance for literature and art. And she does so in a highly entertaining way.« Wohnen und Garten

»A book about science? Not many people can write something like that in a way that the average citizen is able to enjoy it too. Silke Kipper has obviously succeeded in doing just that with her book.« Bernd Atzenroth, Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung

»An all-round successful book that makes you want to go to the park at night, to listen and whistle yourself.« Volkart Wildermuth, Deutschlandfunk Kultur