The Cape sparrow (Passer melanurus) is a southern African bird. A medium-sized sparrow at 14–16 centimetres (5.5–6.3 in), it has distinctive grey, brown, and chestnut plumage, with large pale head stripes in both sexes. The male has some bold black and white markings on its head and neck. The species inhabits semi-arid savannah, cultivated areas, and towns, from the central coast of Angola to eastern South Africa and Swaziland. Cape sparrows primarily eat seeds, along with soft plant parts and insects. They typically breed in colonies, and search for food in large nomadic flocks. The nest can be constructed in a tree, bush, cavity, or disused nest of another species. A typical clutch contains three or four eggs, and both parents are involved, from nest building to feeding the young. The species is common in most of its range and coexists successfully in urban habitats with two of its relatives, the native southern grey-headed sparrow and the house sparrow, an introduced species. The Cape sparrow's population has not decreased significantly, and is not seriously threatened by human activities.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_sparrow
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
314:
Sylvester I, during whose pontificate many churches in Rome were constructed by Emperor Constantine I, began his reign as pope. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sylvester_I
1578:
Eighty Years' War: Spain won a crushing victory in the Battle of Gembloux, leading to a break up of the United Seventeen Provinces, leading to a division of the Netherlands in the Union of Arras (Catholic South) and Union of Utrecht (Protestant North). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gembloux_(1578)
1945:
Second World War: The British 3rd Commando Brigade's victory in the Battle of Hill 170 was important in causing the 28th Japanese Army to withdraw from the Arakan peninsula of Burma. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hill_170
1957:
A Douglas DC-7B operated by Douglas Aircraft collided in mid- air with a U.S. Air Force F-89 and crashed into a schoolyard in Pacoima, California. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1957_Pacoima_mid-air_collision
1999:
Cher sings the "Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXXIII. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher
2013:
A gas leak underneath the Pemex Executive Tower in Mexico City caused an explosion (damage pictured) that killed at least 37 people and injured another 126. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torre_Ejecutiva_Pemex_explosion
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
deep state: (politics, conspiracy theories) A large group of people, typically members of government agencies and the military, believed to have long- lasting political influence that is difficult for an administration voted into power to counter. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/deep_state
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
We live in a time which has created the art of the absurd. It is our art. It contains happenings, Pop art, camp, a theater of the absurd ... Do we have the art because the absurd is the patina of waste...? Or are we face to face with a desperate or most rational effort from the deepest resources of the unconscious of us all to rescue civilization from the pit and plague of its bedding? --Norman Mailer https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Norman_Mailer