The cactus wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) is a large wren that is endemic to the deserts of the US and Mexico. It is the state bird of Arizona. The wren's upperparts are brown with black and white spots and the underparts are cinnamon-buff with a whiter breast; it has striking white eyebrows. The song is loud and raspy. Cactus wrens are ground feeders and eat mainly insects, with some plant material; they can meet their water needs from their diet. The wrens use saguaro and cholla cacti as nesting sites, which provide protection for their large bulky nests and their young. The wrens are non-migratory and territorial around their nests. Pairs are monogamous; males build nests, females incubate eggs, and both parents feed chicks. Populations have declined due to human activities, habitat loss and introduced species including cats, but the wrens still number in the millions. The species is classed as being of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1777:

American Revolutionary War: The British Army and their Hessian allies defeated an American militia at the Battle of Cooch's Bridge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cooch%27s_Bridge

1901:

The flag of Australia flew for the first time from the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Australia

1935:

On the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, British racing motorist Malcolm Campbell became the first person to drive an automobile over 300 mph (480 km/h). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Campbell

2004:

Russian security forces stormed a school in Beslan, North Ossetia, ending a three-day hostage crisis in which 334 of more than 1,100 hostages were killed (photographs of victims pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beslan_school_siege

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

bosk: 1. (obsolete except dialectal) A bush. 2. (archaic) A thicket; a small wood. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bosk

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

True art, springing fresh from Nature, must have in it, to live, much of the glance of an eye, much of the sound of a voice, much of the life of a life.   --Louis Sullivan https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Louis_Sullivan