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The grey-cowled wood rail (Aramides cajaneus) is a species of bird in the family Rallidae, the rails. It lives primarily in the forests, mangroves, and swamps of Central and South America, usually from sea level up to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). In some places, it is occasionally hunted and kept for food. Large for a wood rail, the bird has a grey head and neck, with olive-green to dark brown upperparts. The chest and flanks are a rufous colour, with the belly, rump, and tail being black. The legs are coral red, the bill is a bright greenish-yellow, and the eyes are red. The subspecies avicenniae can be differentiated by its smaller size and the lack of a brown patch on the back of the head. From March to August, nests can be found on flat branches and in thickets with three to seven eggs that are incubated by the monogamous pair. The chicks can move soon after hatching. This rail feeds on a wide range of foods, from molluscs to seeds. The species is not threatened. (Full article...)

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On this day

August 11

Mall of America

106 – The region of Dacia, comprising parts of modern Romania, became a province of the Roman Empire.
1952 – King Talal of Jordan was forced to abdicate due to mental illness and was succeeded by his eldest son, Hussein.
1975 – The Timorese Democratic Union launched a coup in Portuguese Timor, starting the East Timorese civil war.
1977 – The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initiated an investigation into the alleged vulnerability of the Ford Pinto to fuel leakage and fire in a rear-end collision.
1992 – The Mall of America (pictured) in Bloomington, Minnesota, opened as the largest shopping mall in the United States.

Benjamin Franklin Mudge (b. 1817)
Andreas Vogt (b. 1880)
Úrsula Corberó (b. 1989)
Terry A. Davis (d. 2018)

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Today's featured picture

Shiva is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. In the Shaivite tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is the supreme lord who creates, protects and transforms the universe. He is also significantly important to the Shakta and Smarta traditions, and is known as the Destroyer within the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity which also includes Brahma and Vishnu. This three-headed standing Shiva sculpture has a three-eyed yogi-king front-facing form, with his consort Parvati as the left head, and a three-eyed Bhairava as the right head. Shiva's sons Ganesha and Kumara stand at his feet, and a three-eyed Vrishabha, his mount, stands behind. The statue, which is 53 cm (20+7⁄8 in) in height, was made of grey schist in Kashmir, India, in the 8th century, and is now in the Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio.

Sculpture credit: unknown; photographed by the Cleveland Museum of Art

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