The rufous-crowned sparrow (Aimophila ruficeps) is a smallish American sparrow. Isolated populations of this perching bird can be found across the Southwestern United States and much of the interior of Mexico. Twelve subspecies are generally recognized (A. r. boucardi pictured), though up to eighteen have been suggested. The bird has a brown back with darker streaks and gray underparts. The crown is rufous, and the face and supercilium are gray with a brown or rufous streak extending from each eye and a thick black malar streak. The birds are ungraceful fliers, preferring to hop along the ground. They feed primarily on seeds in the winter and insects in the spring and summer. They are often territorial, with males guarding their territory through song and displays. The birds are monogamous and breed during spring, laying two to five eggs in cup-shaped, well-hidden nests. Adult sparrows are preyed upon by house cats and small raptors, while young may be taken by a range of mammals and reptiles. Although classified as a species of least concern, some subspecies are threatened by habitat destruction, and one may be extinct.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufous-crowned_sparrow

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1777:

American Revolutionary War: American forces under the command of George Washington repulsed a British attack at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek near Trenton, New Jersey. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Assunpink_Creek

1920:

Under the leadership of U.S. Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer, Department of Justice agents launched a series of raids against radical leftists and anarchists across 30 cities in 23 states. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmer_Raids

1963:

Vietnam War: The Viet Cong won its first major victory in the Battle of Ap Bac. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ap_Bac

1975:

Lalit Narayan Mishra, the Indian Minister of Railways, was assassinated in a bomb blast at Samastipur, Bihar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalit_Narayan_Mishra

2004:

The Stardust space probe flew by the comet Wild 2 and collected particle samples from its coma, which were later returned to Earth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/81P/Wild

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

articulated skeleton: (paleontology) A fossil skeleton found all in one piece with the bones still arranged in the proper order. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/articulated_skeleton

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."   --Isaac Asimov https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov