[Wikipedia Daily Article] July 12: Mourning Dove

[Faraaz Damji]

   The Mourning Dove is a member of the dove family, Columbidae.  It
   ranges from Central America to southern Canada, including offshore
   islands.  Many individuals in northern areas migrate south to winter
   within the breeding range where January temperatures are greater than
   minus 12 Celsius (10 F).  Habitats include various open and semi-open
   environments, including agricultural and urban areas.  The species has
   adapted well to areas altered by humans.  The bird is abundant, with an
   estimated population of 130 million birds.  In many areas, the Mourning
   Dove is hunted as a game bird for both sport and its flesh.  Its
   plaintive woo-oo-oo-oo call is common throughout its range, as is the
   whistling of its wings as it takes flight.  The species is a strong
   flier, capable of speeds up to 88 km/h (55 mi/h).  Mourning Doves are
   light gray and brownish and generally muted in color.  Males and
   females are similar in appearance.  The species is generally
   monogamous, with two squabs (young) per brood.  Both parents care for
   the young for a time.  Mourning Doves eat mainly seeds, including those
   of both native and introduced plants.

Read the rest of this article:
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mourning_Dove


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Today's selected anniversaries:

1543:
   King Henry VIII of England married Catherine Parr, his sixth and
   last wife, at Hampton Court Palace.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Parr)

1580:
   Ostrog Bible, the first Bible in Old Church Slavonic, was printed in
   Ostroh, Ukraine by Ivan Fyodorov.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostrog_Bible)

1806:
   Sixteen German imperial states left the Holy Roman Empire and formed
   the Confederation of the Rhine.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederation_of_the_Rhine)

1862:
   The U.S. Army Medal of Honor was first authorized by the U.S.
   Congress.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_Honor)

1975:
   São Tomé and Príncipe declared independence from Portugal.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A3o_Tom%C3%A9_and_Pr%C3%ADncipe)

1979:
   The Gilbert Islands gained independence and became known as
   Kiribati.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiribati)


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Wikiquote of the day:

   There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the
   State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent
   power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and
   treats him accordingly.  -- Henry David Thoreau
   (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_David_Thoreau)