The Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) is a bird in the sparrow family with a rich chestnut crown and nape, and a black patch on pure white cheeks on both sexes. It is widespread in the towns and cities of eastern Asia, but in Europe it is a bird of the lightly wooded open countryside. It is not closely related to the American tree sparrow. Its untidy nest is built within a natural cavity, a hole in a building, or the large nest of a Eurasian magpie or white stork. It feeds mainly on seeds, but invertebrates are also consumed, particularly during the breeding season. Parasites, diseases and birds of prey take their toll, and the typical life span is about two years. There have been large declines in western European populations, in part due to increased use of herbicides and a decline in winter stubble fields. The species has long been depicted in Chinese and Japanese art, and has appeared on the postage stamps of Antigua and Barbuda, Belarus, Belgium, Cambodia, the Central African Republic, China, Estonia, The Gambia and Taiwan.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_tree_sparrow> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1890: London's City and South London Railway (locomotive pictured), the first deep-level underground railway in the world, officially opened, running a distance of 3.2 mi (5.1 km) between the City of London and Stockwell. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_and_South_London_Railway> 1960: At the Kasakela chimpanzee community in Tanzania, Jane Goodall observed a chimpanzee using a grass stalk to extract termites from a termite hill, the first recorded case of tool use by animals. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasakela_chimpanzee_community> 2010: In the first aviation occurrence for an Airbus A380, Qantas Flight 32 suffered an uncontained engine failure and safely made an emergency landing at Singapore Changi Airport with no casualties. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qantas_Flight_32> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: cloud-headed: Having one's head in the clouds: prone to daydreaming, or thinking impractically. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cloud-headed> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: Christ whose glory fills the skies,Christ, the true, the only light,Sun of Righteousness, arise,Triumph o'er the shades of night;Day- spring from on high, be near, Day-star in my heart appear. --Augustus Toplady <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Augustus_Toplady> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/daily-article-l Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
