[Lear]

Why nightingales are snubbing London for the Berlin

Darwin’s colleague Silke Voigt-Heucke said that nightingales, just like many of the people who come to Berlin from abroad and make it their home, may be attracted to the city’s dishevelled appearance. “What makes Berlin unique for a capital in Europe is that we still have a relatively good network of green spaces that are not overtly cultivated. For now, there are still a lot of unkempt brownfield sites,” she said.

“Poor but sexy”, a now widely mocked marketing slogan coined by the former mayor Klaus Wowereit, may have had a more lasting relevance in the avian world. “Many of Berlin’s parks haven’t been managed properly for years, which has turned out to be a blessing in disguise,” Voigt-Heucke said. “Nightingales nest on the ground within or next to dense bushes, so piles of leaves and stinging nettles are perfect for them.”