The Sind sparrow (Passer pyrrhonotus) is a bird of the sparrow family, Passeridae, found around the Indus valley region in South Asia. Very similar to the house sparrow, it is smaller and has distinguishing plumage features. This species was long thought to be very closely related to the house sparrow, but its closest evolutionary affinities may lie elsewhere. The male has brighter plumage than female and young birds; it has black markings, a grey crown, and a chestnut stripe running down its head behind the eye. The female has a darker head than other sparrow species do. Its main vocalisations are soft chirping calls that are extended into longer songs. Within its Indus valley breeding range in Pakistan and western India, the Sind sparrow is patchily distributed in riverine and wetland habitats with thorny scrub and tall grass. During the non-breeding season, some birds migrate into western Pakistan and the extreme east of Iran. This fairly common species has been expanding its range.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sind_sparrow

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1833:

The Slavery Abolition Act 1833, officially abolishing slavery in most of the British Empire, received royal assent. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_Abolition_Act_1833

1909:

A military coup d'etat against the government of Dimitrios Rallis began in the Goudi neighbourhood of Athens, Greece. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goudi_coup

1955:

African American teenager Emmett Till was murdered near Money, Mississippi, for flirting with a white woman, energizing the nascent American civil rights movement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_Till

1993:

The asteroid 243 Ida became the first found to have a moon when it was visited by NASA's Galileo probe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/243_Ida

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

undercurrent: 1. A current of water which flows under the surface, and often in a different direction from surface currents. 2. (figuratively) A tendency of feeling or opinion that is concealed rather than exposed. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/undercurrent

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Everyone thinks they can write a play; you just write down what happened to you. But the art of it is drawing from all the moments of your life.   --Neil Simon https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Neil_Simon