Its sweet song is seldom heard in the general environs of Berkeley Square.
But the mystery of why our nightingale population has plummeted far below our neighbours in Europe may have been explained.
For the songbird prefers to isolate themselves from their counterparts over winter which leaves them more vulnerable.
Numbers have declined by around 90 per cent in England between 1967 and 2022 in England.
But until now bird experts have been unable to explain why France, Italy and Spain have not suffered such a similar drop in numbers.
Now the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) said the English nightingale is suffering as a result of preferring to stay away from their European neighbours.
Using trackers, the BTO found that English nightingales like to isolate themselves over winter in a corner of Gambia in West Africa which has been hit by severe droughts.
European nightingales spread themselves across a much wider area of West Africa and so are better able to adapt to local changes in conditions.
The nightingale prefers to isolate themselves from their counterparts over winter which leaves them more vulnerable
The Nightingale is probably best known through the song A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square, which was popularised by Dame Vera Lynn (pictured)
The BTO said that until now it was not known that ‘British breeding Nightingales rarely mix with other European populations while on the wintering grounds’.
Dr Chris Hewson, senior research ecologist at BTO, said: ‘Here, we show that the English Nightingale population has a unique distribution pattern during our winter season, which leaves them vulnerable to both climate and habitat changes in Africa.
‘This helps to explain why the English, but not other European, populations of the Nightingale are currently in decline.’
The bird, which has a drab brown plumage, was immortalised in the Keats poem Ode To A Nightingale.
But it is probably best known through the song A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square, which was popularised by Dame Vera Lynn.
That said, nightingales are rarely found in the city and, even in the 1940s, a nightingale would be an unlikely visitor to Berkeley Square, in London’s Mayfair, as they prefer the countryside.
