Wikipedia:Picture of the day/Archive
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These featured pictures, as scheduled below, appeared as the picture of the day (POTD) on the English Wikipedia's Main Page in the last 30 days.
You can add an automatically updating POTD template to your user page using {{Pic of the day}} (version with blurb) or {{POTD}} (version without blurb). For instructions on how to make custom POTD layouts, see Wikipedia:Picture of the day.
May 9
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The cheek-lined wrasse (Oxycheilinus digramma) is a species of fish in the wrasse family, Labridae. It is native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean, residing in coral reefs, sheltered inland areas, and lagoons, at depths from 3 to 60 metres (10 to 200 ft). Juveniles have been observed to live among the tentacles of the mushroom coral Heliofungia actiniformis. The cheek-lined wrasse feeds on sea urchins, molluscs, and crustaceans, often hiding behind other fish to approach its prey. The species is of minor importance to local commercial fisheries and can also be found in the aquarium trade. This cheek-lined wrasse was photographed off the coast of Anilao in the Philippines. Photograph credit: Diego Delso
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May 8
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American women in World War II became involved in many tasks they rarely had before; as the war involved global conflict on an unprecedented scale, the absolute urgency of mobilizing the entire population made the expansion of the role of women inevitable. Their services were recruited through a variety of methods, including posters and other print advertising, as well as popular songs. This photo by Esther Bubley shows a woman being trained by the Capitol Transit Company (in Washington D.C.) to operate a streetcar. Photograph credit: Esther Bubley; restored by Adam Cuerden
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May 7
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Euphrosyne Parepa-Rosa (7 May 1836 – 21 January 1874) was a British operatic soprano who established the Carl Rosa Opera Company together with her husband Carl Rosa. Parepa's aristocratic father died soon after her birth, and her mother turned to the stage to support them. Parepa made her operatic debut in 1855, at age 16, and soon earned enthusiastic reviews in the major London opera houses. In 1867, following the death of her first husband, Parepa married the violinist and conductor Carl Rosa in New York, and they founded an opera company with Parepa as the leading lady. They toured successfully in America for several years. After their return to Britain with ambitious plans for their opera company, Parepa fell ill and died in 1874 at only 37 years of age. Photograph credit: Jeremiah Gurney; restored by Adam Cuerden
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May 6
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The olive-bellied sunbird (Cinnyris chloropygius) is a small bird in the family Nectariniidae, the sunbirds, widespread across the African tropical rainforest. The male has a metallic green head, back and throat, a blue rump, scarlet breast patch, yellow pectoral tufts and an olive belly, while the female has an olive-brown head and upperparts, dark brown wings and tail, and olive underparts washed with yellow. The olive-bellied sunbird resembles the tiny sunbird, but is slightly larger and lacks blue bars in the red breast plumage. It feeds on insects such as caterpillars, beetles and spiders, as well as nectar, flowers and seeds, usually foraging low in the canopy. The species is common, faces no major threats, and is listed as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This male olive-bellied sunbird in flight was photographed in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Photograph credit: Giles Laurent
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May 5
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Impossible colors are colors that do not appear in ordinary visual functioning. Different color theories suggest hypothetical colors that humans are incapable of perceiving for one reason or another, and fictional colors are routinely created in popular culture. While some such colors have no basis in reality, phenomena such as cone-cell fatigue enable colors to be perceived in certain circumstances that would not be otherwise. This image presents three demonstration templates for viewing chimerical colors, a type of impossible color that can only be seen when cone cells in the eyes become fatigued. Such colors are perceived after steadily looking at a strong color (in the left column), then looking at a different color (in the middle column) once the cone cells have become fatigued. These templates demonstrate three categories of chimerical colors: stygian colors, which are those that are simultaneously dark and impossibly saturated; self-luminous colors, which have a glowing effect even on non-luminescent media; and hyperbolic colors, which have a saturation beyond the gamut allowed under trichromatic theory. Template credit: Craig DeForest, after Paul Churchland; edited by Alexander Zhikun He
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May 4
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Frederic Edwin Church (May 4, 1826 – April 7, 1900) was an American landscape painter who was a central figure in the Hudson River School of American landscape painters. Church was best known for painting large landscapes, often depicting mountains, waterfalls, and sunsets. His paintings put an emphasis on realistic detail, dramatic light, and panoramic views. This portrait of Church was taken around 1868 by the Canadian-born American photographer Napoléon Sarony. The image is in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery. Photograph credit: Napoléon Sarony; restored by Adam Cuerden
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May 3
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The American bison (Bison bison), commonly called the American buffalo, is a species of bovid and one of two living species of bison, alongside the European bison. With wild bulls recorded at up to 1,270 kilograms (2,800 lb), it is among the heaviest extant land animals in North America. Once numbering an estimated 60 million, the species was driven close to extinction by the late 19th century. Conservation and reintroduction have restored populations to some extent, and it is now found mainly in scattered conservation herds and protected areas across Canada, Mexico and the United States. The American bison is the national mammal of the United States and has for centuries been central to the lives and cultures of many Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains, being hunted as a source of food, clothing and shelter. This plains bison (subspecies B. b. bison) was photographed on rangeland in the Western United States by Jack Dykinga for the Agricultural Research Service. Photograph credit: Jack Dykinga
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May 2
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The Aqueduct of Segovia is a Roman aqueduct located in Segovia, Spain. It is thought to have been constructed during the 1st century, and is one of the most significant and best-preserved ancient monuments on the Iberian Peninsula. The aqueduct is regarded as a symbol of Segovia and is present on the city's coat of arms. This photograph, taken in 2009, shows the elevated section of the Aqueduct of Segovia passing through the Plaza del Azoguejo in the city centre. Photograph: Bernard Gagnon
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May 1
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The mute swan (Cygnus olor) is a species of swan in the family Anatidae. It is native to much of Europe and Asia and is an introduced species in North America, Australasia and southern Africa. The name "mute" derives from it being less vocal than other swan species. Typically measuring 140 to 170 cm (55 to 67 in) in length, this large swan is wholly white in plumage with an orange bill bordered with black. It is recognisable by its pronounced knob atop the bill, which is larger in males. Photograph: Geni
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April 30
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Old Faithful is a cone geyser in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, United States. It was named in 1870 during the Washburn–Langford–Doane Expedition and was the first geyser in the park to be named. It is a highly predictable geothermal feature, erupting on average every 92 minutes, with the period between eruptions ranging from as short as 35 minutes to as long as 120 minutes. The geyser and the nearby Old Faithful Inn are part of the Old Faithful Historic District. This photograph shows Old Faithful erupting in 2022. Photograph credit: Dietmar Rabich
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April 29
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Adularescence is an optical phenomenon that is produced in gemstones like moonstone. It is best described as a milky, bluish luster or glow originating from below the surface of the gemstone. The luster, appearing to move as the gemstone is turned or as the light source is moved, gives the impression of moonlight floating on water. It is most typically produced in adularia, an orthoclase. This photograph shows adularescence in a moonstone cabochon from Minas Gerais, Brazil. Photograph credit: Didier Descouens
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April 28
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Collard is a group of loose-leafed cultivars of Brassica oleracea, a plant species comprising many other common vegetables, including cabbage and broccoli. Part of the Acephala group (or the "kale group"), collard is also classified as the variety B. oleracea var. viridis. It is grown as a food crop for its large, dark green, edible leaves, which are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. It has been cultivated as food since classical antiquity. This photograph shows a bundle of collard greens from an organic-food cooperative. Photograph credit: Evan Amos
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April 27
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Episyrphus balteatus, sometimes called the marmalade hoverfly, is a relatively small hoverfly (9 to 12 mm; 0.35 to 0.47 in), in the family Syrphidae. It is widespread throughout the Palearctic region, which covers Europe, North Asia and North Africa, and is considered to be the most abundant native hoverfly in Central Europe. The upper side of its abdomen is patterned with orange and black bands, which may appear wasp-like to other animals, such as birds, protecting it from predation – an example of Batesian mimicry. It can be found throughout the year in various habitats, including urban gardens, visiting flowers for pollen and nectar. This male E. balteatus hoverfly was photographed on a valerian in Wengen, Switzerland. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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April 26
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Marcus Aurelius (26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace, calm, and stability for the Roman Empire lasting from 27 BC to 180 AD. He served as Roman consul in 140, 145, and 161. This bust depicting Aurelius was found in the Roman villa of Chiragan and is in the collection of the Musée Saint-Raymond. Bust credit: unknown; photographed by Daniel Martin
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April 25
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Inveraray Castle is a Grade A listed country house near Inveraray in the county of Argyll, in western Scotland. It is located on the shore of Loch Fyne, Scotland's longest sea loch. Designed in part by William Adam and Roger Morris, it was constructed from the 1740s and is one of the earliest Gothic Revival buildings. The current building replaced an earlier 15th-century castle at which King James V stayed in September 1533. The castle, the seat of the Duke of Argyll, chief of Clan Campbell, houses a collection of more than 1,300 pikes, muskets, swords and other weapons, and is open to visitors. This photograph shows the facade of Inveraray Castle in 2010. Photograph credit: Son of Groucho
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April 24
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The Philippine tarsier (Carlito syrichta) is a small primate in the family Tarsiidae, the tarsiers. It is endemic to the Philippines, where it occurs on islands including Bohol, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao. With a height of 85 to 160 millimetres (3.3 to 6.3 in), it has very large eyes fixed in their sockets, a flexible neck allowing head rotations up to 180 degrees, long ankle bones for leaping, and large mobile ears suited to its nocturnal life. It is mainly insectivorous, feeding on insects and other small animals in forest habitats. The species is classed as near threatened because of habitat loss and trapping for the pet trade, and is protected by conservation laws and sanctuaries. Formerly placed in the genus Tarsius, it is now the sole species in the genus Carlito, named after the conservationist Carlito Pizarras. This Philippine tarsier of the subspecies C. s. fraterculus was photographed in the forest southwest of Bilar, on the island of Bohol. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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April 23
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Alceste is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck from 1767. The Italian libretto was written by Ranieri de' Calzabigi and based on the play Alcestis by Euripides. The premiere took place on 26 December 1767 at the Burgtheater in Vienna. The image shows the set design for Act III by François-Joseph Bélanger for the French-language premiere on 23 April 1776. Set design credit: François-Joseph Bélanger; restored by Adam Cuerden
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April 22
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J. Robert Oppenheimer (April 22, 1904 – February 18, 1967) was an American theoretical physicist who served as the director of the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II. He is often called the "father of the atomic bomb" for his role in overseeing the development of the first nuclear weapons. During the Second Red Scare, Oppenheimer's stances, together with his past associations with the Communist Party USA, led to a security hearing before the United States Atomic Energy Commission and the revocation of his security clearance in 1954. He continued to lecture, write, and work on physics, and in 1963 received the Enrico Fermi Award for contributions to theoretical physics. This portrait photograph of Oppenheimer was taken around 1944, while he was the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory. The image is in the holdings of the National Archives and Records Administration. Photograph credit: unknown; restored by MyCatIsAChonk
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April 21
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Elizabeth II (21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death. The first child of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth), she became heir presumptive when the duke became king in 1936 upon the abdication of Edward VIII. During the Second World War, she served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. She married Philip Mountbatten in 1947; they were wed for 73 years until his death in 2021. She became queen on her father's death in 1952, and reigned for seven decades through dramatic changes in her realms, attaining the oldest age of any British monarch (96), and having the longest reign. She faced media criticism of her family over the breakups of her children's marriages, and after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. However, support for the monarchy in Britain remained high, as did her popularity. Elizabeth died at Balmoral Castle and was succeeded by her eldest son, Charles III. This 1933 oil-on-canvas painting of Elizabeth (then Princess Elizabeth of York) aged seven was created by Anglo-Hungarian artist Philip de László. It is now in the Royal Collection. Painting credit: Philip de László
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April 20
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Doris is a "comedy opera" by Alfred Cellier, with a libretto by B. C. Stephenson. It premiered in London in 1889 and ran for a modestly successful 202 performances, despite a starry cast including Arthur Williams, Ben Davies, Alice Barnett and Hayden Coffin. Marie Tempest, the star of the same team's 1886 hit Dorothy, later played Doris. Critics praised the score but disliked the libretto, in which a person accused of a plot against Queen Elizabeth I repeatedly switches clothes with others to escape arrest. This image shows the front cover of the score of a waltz composed by Procida Bucalossi based on Cellier's tunes from Doris. The lithographic illustration, by Nicholas Hanhart, depicts the scene in which Doris stumbles upon Sir Philip Carey's hiding spot and decides to help him. Lithograph credit: Nicholas Hanhart; restored by Adam Cuerden
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April 19
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The fawn-breasted brilliant (Heliodoxa rubinoides) is a bird in the hummingbird family, Trochilidae. It is native to the Andes of South America, occurring in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The species inhabits tropical and subtropical forests, at altitudes between 1,000 to 2,300 metres (3,300 to 7,500 ft), and feeds mainly on nectar, as well as occasional small insects and spiders. The fawn-breasted brilliant has a patchy distribution, but is nonetheless classified as a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It is green above with iridescent copper underparts, and a long, slightly curved bill. Males perform courtship displays but do not assist with nesting. The female builds a camouflaged nest, lays two eggs, and raises the chicks alone. This fawn-breasted brilliant of the subspecies H. r. aequatorialis was photographed in flight in the Refugio Paz de las Aves, a nature reserve in the foothills of the Ecuadorian Andes. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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April 18
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NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter, as imaged by the Perseverance rover's Mastcam-Z on Sol 768 (April 18, 2023). Ingenuity made history as the first aircraft ever to pull off a powered and controlled flight outside Earth on April 19, 2021. Originally planned for only five flights, it ultimately completed 72 flights over nearly three years before its mission ended in January 2024. Photograph credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/
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April 17
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Priacanthus hamrur, commonly known as the lunar-tailed bigeye or moontail bullseye, is a species of marine fish in the family Priacanthidae. It is widespread but uncommon in the Indo-Pacific, ranging from the Red Sea and eastern Africa to Japan, Australia and French Polynesia, with rare records in the Mediterranean Sea. A reef-associated species, P. hamrur inhabits lagoons and outer reef slopes at depths of 8 to 250 metres (26 to 820 ft). It has a deep, laterally compressed body, very large red eyes, and a crescent-shaped tail. Its colour varies from silver to red, with red bands. A nocturnal feeder, its diet consists primarily of small fishes, crustaceans and other invertebrates. It may live solitarily or form schools, and is listed as a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This P. hamrur fish was photographed off the coast off Zanzibar, Tanzania. Photograph credit: Diego Delso
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April 16
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Shearing the Rams is an 1890 oil painting on canvas by the Australian artist Tom Roberts. It depicts sheep shearers plying their trade in a timber shearing shed. Roberts modelled the painting on a shearing shed at what is now called Killeneen, an outstation of the 24,000-hectare (59,000-acre) Brocklesby sheep station, near Corowa in the Riverina region of New South Wales. One of Australia's best-known paintings, this and other Australian Impressionist works gave visual expression to an emerging sense of national identity. The painting is currently in the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. Painting credit: Tom Roberts
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April 15
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The Baspa Valley is the river valley of the Baspa River, which is fed by Himalayan glaciers and flows through the district of Kinnaur, in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, until it meets the Sutlej. This photograph shows a panoramic view of the Baspa Valley covered in snow in March 2025. The town of Sangla is on the right-hand side of the image. Photograph credit: UnpetitproleX
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April 14
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The black caracara (Daptrius ater) is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae, found in the lowlands of the Amazon basin and French Guiana. Its common habitats include rivers, gallery forest and wooded savanna, at elevations up to 900 meters (3,000 ft). A largely sedentary and sociable species, it is an opportunistic omnivore, its diet including carrion, small mammals and reptiles, fish, fruit, insects, and other bird species. It is also known for removing parasites from animals such as tapirs and capybaras. Adults are mostly glossy black, with a white band on the tail, and bright yellow to orange-red feet and face. This black caracara was photographed on a branch near the Napo River in Sucumbíos Province, northeastern Ecuador. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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April 13
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Oradour-sur-Glane is a commune in Haute-Vienne, a department of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in west-central France, with a population of 2,477 as of 2019. It is best known for the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre, which occurred on 10 June 1944 (four days after the Normandy landings on D-Day), in which 642 inhabitants, including 207 children, were killed by Nazi German troops. Only a handful of people survived by feigning death. The massacre was led by Adolf Diekmann, who had intended to attack the nearby village of Oradour-sur-Vayres, which had supported French and Belgian Resistance fighters, but took a wrong turn en route. After the war, a new settlement was built nearby, while the destroyed village was preserved on the orders of Charles de Gaulle as a memorial, alongside the Centre de la mémoire d'Oradour, a commemorative museum. This photograph, taken in 2017, shows part of the preserved ruins of Oradour-sur-Glane. Photograph credit: Davdavlhu
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April 12
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Stereum hirsutum, commonly known as the false turkey tail or the hairy curtain crust, is a species of fungus in the genus Stereum. An inedible species, it is found in various parts of the world, including North America, Europe and Australia. It forms thin, tough, bracket-like fruiting bodies, often in overlapping brackets on dead wood of both hardwood and conifer trees. The cap is 1 to 5 centimetres (0.5 to 2 in) wide, sometimes fused to form wider shelves, while the flesh is thin and tough. It produces white spores. The species is a plant pathogen that can infect peach trees, and is also itself parasitised by species such as the fungus Naematelia aurantia. This S. hirsutum growth was photographed in the Bruderwald, near Bamberg, Germany, with a focus stack of 23 frames. Photograph credit: Reinhold Möller
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April 11
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Mary White Ovington (April 11, 1865 – July 15, 1951) was an American socialist, suffragist, journalist, and co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Ovington was born in Brooklyn, New York, and educated at Packer Collegiate Institute and Radcliffe College, Harvard. She became involved in the campaign for civil rights in 1890 after hearing Frederick Douglass speak in a Brooklyn church and a 1903 speech by Booker T. Washington at the Social Reform Club. This half-length photographic portrait of Ovington was taken in the 1890s by Charles J. Dampf, and is in the collection of the Library of Congress. Photograph credit: Charles J. Dampf; restored by Adam Cuerden
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April 10
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The chimango caracara (Daptrius chimango) is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is found across southern South America, including Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia, where it inhabits open environments such as grasslands, marshes, farmland, and urban areas. A medium-sized raptor, it has brown plumage and a wingspan of up to 100 centimetres (40 in). The chimango caracara is omnivorous, feeding on insects, lizards, amphibians, the eggs and young of other birds, and rodents, as well as carrion and some plant material. It is noted for its intelligence and problem-solving ability. This female chimango caracara of the subspecies D. c. temucoensis was photographed in Puerto Varas, Chile. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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