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The great cuckoo-dove (Reinwardtoena reinwardti) is a species of bird in the pigeon family. First described by zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1824, it is found on islands from New Guinea to Wallacea in primary forest and the forest edge. It is a large pigeon, and in adults the head, neck, and breast are whitish or blue-grey, the underparts are bluish-grey, the upperparts are chestnut-brown, and the outer wings are black. Females differ from males in having yellower irises and duller orbital skin. Juveniles are mainly dull grey-brown, with dirty-white throats and bellies. The bird feeds on fruit and seeds, usually alone or in pairs, but forms mixed flocks at fruit trees. It will defend fruiting shrubs, an uncommon foraging behaviour among birds. Breeding occurs throughout the year, although timing varies over its range. Nests are platforms made of plant material and the clutch is one white egg. This species is classified as least concern due to its large range and stable population. (Full article...)

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Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch

... that New York City's Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch (pictured) once had a puppet library?
... that angling was once an Olympic sport?
... that the shape of Fisherman's Friend lozenges was based on the buttons on a dress worn by Doreen Lofthouse?
... that during an expedition on RV Kaharoa, a 34-centimetre-long (13 in) "supergiant" amphipod was discovered?
... that Olympia Dukakis's first screen role was in the avant-garde film Twice a Man?
... that ten years after publishing the book Great South African Christians, Horton Davies gave a speech criticizing South African churches and synagogues for their role in apartheid?
... that the two varieties of Alabama croton are separated by more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles)?
... that Aboriginal soldier Tim Hughes was decorated for remarkable bravery, exceptional coolness and initiative during the Battle of Buna–Gona?
... that the Victory Vertical piano was developed in 1942 to be parachuted to US troops?

In the news

Joe Biden

Incumbent U.S. president Joe Biden (pictured) withdraws from the 2024 presidential election.
In golf, Xander Schauffele wins the Open Championship.
General secretary and former president of Vietnam Nguyễn Phú Trọng dies at the age of 80.
The International Court of Justice finds the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories to be a violation of international law.

On this day

July 25: National Day of Galicia, Saint James's Day

Pratibha Patil

306 – Constantine the Great was proclaimed Roman emperor by his troops after the death of Constantius Chlorus.
1788 – Mozart completed his Symphony No. 40, one of his two extant symphonies in a minor key.
1898 – Spanish–American War: After more than two months of sea-based bombardment, the United States invaded Puerto Rico.
1943 – The Grand Council of Fascism voted a motion of no confidence against Benito Mussolini, who was arrested the same day by King Victor Emmanuel III and replaced by Pietro Badoglio.
2007 – Pratibha Patil (pictured) was sworn in as the first female president of India.

Elliott Fitch Shepard (b. 1833)
Enriqueta Legorreta (b. 1914)
Nestor Makhno (d. 1934)
Beji Caid Essebsi (d. 2019)

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Today's featured picture

Pisaura mirabilis is a species of arachnid in the family Pisauridae, the nursery web spiders. It has a palearctic distribution, being found all over Europe, and also inhabits the Canary Islands and Madeira, the Asian part of Russia, China and North Africa. It lives in all habitats but prefers wet environments, and inhabits all strata from the ground to the top of trees, at altitudes up to 1,100 metres (3,600 feet), but is not found under rocks or in caves. The spider has relatively long legs, the fourth pair being the longest, and a slender opisthosoma. Males are 10 to 13 millimetres (0.39 to 0.51 in) in length, while females are 12 to 15 millimetres (0.47 to 0.59 in). This photograph shows a female P. mirabilis spider carrying an egg sac, photographed at a lake near Wolvercote in Oxfordshire, England.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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