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From today's featured article

White-rumped swallow

The white-rumped swallow (Tachycineta leucorrhoa) is a species of bird, the only one in its genus, in the family Hirundinidae. First described and given its scientific name by French ornithologist Louis Vieillot in 1817, it has no known population variations. It is black from the eyes to the nostrils, with a white streak just above. The ear coverts, tail, and wings are black, with white tips on the wings. The rest of the upperparts are a glossy blue. Its underparts and underwing-coverts are white, in addition to the rump, as the name suggests. It usually builds its nest in holes in trees or dead snags, and sometimes under eaves or in holes in fence posts. This swallow is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, pastureland, the edge of forests, and subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland. It is classified as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Its population is increasing, partly because of the increase in availability of man-made structures suitable for nest sites. (Full article...)

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Hotpants
Hotpants

In the news

Emmanuel Macron in 2015
Emmanuel Macron

On this day...

May 8: Victory in Europe Day; World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day; Miguel Hidalgo's Birthday in Mexico; Parents' Day in South Korea

Antoine Lavoisier
Antoine Lavoisier

Fern Hobbs (b. 1883) · Friedrich Hayek (b. 1899) · Beatrice Worsley (d. 1972)

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From today's featured list

David Lynch
David Lynch

In the course of his career, American filmmaker and television director David Lynch has received multiple awards and nominations. Among them are three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and a nomination for best screenplay. Lynch has twice won France's César Award for Best Foreign Film, as well as the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and a Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement at the Venice Film Festival. The French government has awarded him the Legion of Honour, the country's top civilian distinction, honoring him first as a Chevalier in 2002 and then as an Officier in 2009. His films include The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, The Straight Story, and Mulholland Drive. Lynch's television debut, Twin Peaks, earned five Emmy Award nominations for its first season. (Full list...)

Today's featured picture

An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump

An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump is an oil painting on canvas completed by Joseph Wright of Derby in 1768. It shows a natural philosopher recreating one of Robert Boyle's air pump experiments, in which a bird is deprived of air, before a varied group of onlookers. They exhibit a variety of reactions, but for most of them scientific curiosity overcomes concern for the bird. The painting has been owned by the National Gallery, London, since 1863 and is regarded as a masterpiece of British art.

Painting: Joseph Wright of Derby

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