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The russet sparrow is a passerine bird in the sparrow family Passeridae, distributed in eastern Asia. A chunky little seed-eating bird with a thick bill, it has a body length of 14 to 15 cm (5.5 to 5.9 in). Its plumage is mainly warm rufous above and grey below. It exhibits sexual dimorphism, with the plumage of both sexes patterned similarly to that of the corresponding sex of the house sparrow. Its vocalisations are sweet and musical chirps, which when strung together form a song. The russet sparrow is known well enough in the Himalayas to have a distinct name in some languages, and is depicted in Japanese art. It feeds mainly on the seeds of herbs and grains, but it also eats berries and insects, particularly during the breeding season. This diet makes it a minor pest in agricultural areas, but also a predator of insect pests. It is a social bird within its own species, but disperses to breed. The typical clutch has five or six whitish eggs. Both sexes incubate and feed the young. (Full article...) Recently featured: Emmy Noether The Combat: Woman Pleading for the Vanquished Pseudastacus Archive By email More featured articles About
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HNLMS De Ruyter ... that the shipwreck of HNLMS De Ruyter (pictured) went missing, leaving only an imprint on the ocean floor? ... that NFL player Dustin McDonald was later a labor leader who led strikes and was jailed for fighting the police? ... that the death of a pregnant woman in a video game was written to be even darker on television? ... that Joe Eddins helped conservative Oklahoma enact universal preschool? ... that Olive Garden and Chili's got in a ship war over Destiel? ... that William F. J. Ryan designed more than 1,000 coats of arms for bishops, dioceses, and institutions? ... that the cover art for Jane Remover's debut album is a screenshot taken from Google Street View? ... that the "Tiger-Rider" is said to have miraculously flooded his village with alcohol? ... that "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" contains 261 "Na"s in total? Archive Start a new article Nominate an article

In the news

Melissa Hortman

In the US state of Minnesota, state representative Melissa Hortman (pictured) is assassinated and state senator John Hoffman is injured.
Former president of Nicaragua and first elected female president in the Americas Violeta Chamorro dies at the age of 95.
Israel launches multiple airstrikes across cities in Iran, killing various nuclear scientists and military officials, including IRGC Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami.
Air India Flight 171 crashes in Ahmedabad, India, killing 279 people.

On this day...

June 17

Mumtaz Mahal

1579 – Explorer Francis Drake landed in a region of present-day California, naming it New Albion and claiming it for England.
1631 – Mumtaz Mahal (pictured), wife of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, died in childbirth; Jahan spent the next seventeen years constructing her mausoleum, the Taj Mahal.
1919 – Hundreds of Canadian soldiers rioted in Epsom, England, leading to the death of a British police officer.
1952 – Guatemalan Revolution: The Guatemalan Congress passed Decree 900, redistributing unused land greater than 224 acres (0.91 km²) in area to local peasants.

M. C. Escher (b. 1898)
Richard Gagnon (b. 1948)
Amari Cooper (b. 1994)
Mohamed Morsi (d. 2019)

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