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From today's featured article A. r. boucardi 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 thick black malar streak and a brown or rufous streak extending from each eye. 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. (Full article...) Recently featured: Falstaff (opera) Steve Bruce Rashtrakuta dynasty Did you know... Madagascar hissing roaches ... that a few cockroach species (example pictured) are kept as pets, and several species are raised as food for insectivorous pets? ... that The X Factor winner Louisa Johnson initially applied for Britain's Got Talent? ... that Level Mountain is the most voluminous and most persistent volcano in the Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province of North America? ... that Vernon Arnold Haugland was the first civilian to receive the Silver Star medal, normally awarded only to members of the United States Armed Forces? ... that the 2015 Hurricane Blanca was the earliest recorded tropical cyclone to make landfall on the Baja California Peninsula in any given year? ... that the legend of Lopamudra in Mahabharata is said to be "the glorification of domestic life and family and demonstrates the incompleteness of a life based solely on asceticism"? ... that British media have compared the Scottish footballer Ryan Gauld to Lionel Messi? ... that Operation Maeng Da translates as "Operation Pimp"?

In the news Falcon 9 rocket's first stage on the landing pad The governments of Japan and South Korea announce their "final and irreversible" agreement regarding comfort women. The Charter of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank enters into force. After launching a Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX successfully lands the vehicle's first stage (pictured) in Cape Canaveral. Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, the suspended presidents of FIFA and UEFA respectively, are banned from association football for eight years amid a corruption case. More than 70 people are missing after a landslide in Shenzhen, China. Ongoing events: Syrian Civil War European migrant crisis Recent deaths: Doug Atkins Lemmy Meadowlark Lemon On this day... January 2: Perihelion of the Earth (22:49 UTC, 2016); Feast Day of Gregory of Nazianzus (Roman Catholic Church) Comet Wild 2 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. 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. 1963 – Vietnam War: The Viet Cong won its first major victory in the Battle of Ap Bac. 1975 – Lalit Narayan Mishra, the Indian Minister of Railways, was assassinated in a bomb blast at Samastipur, Bihar. 2004 – The Stardust space probe flew by the comet Wild 2 (pictured) and collected particle samples from its coma, which were later returned to Earth. More anniversaries: January 1 January 2 January 3

Today's featured picture An Igorot man in traditional costume, photographed in Banaue, Philippines. Photograph: Uwe Aranas Recently featured: Church of St. John at Kaneo IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth Hafnium

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