Winter often brings cold and snow to the uplands of England"s Peak District National Park, as this wee European robin surely knows. Here we see it puffing up its plumage to insulate its body against the wintry weather. Unrelated to the American robin, the European robin is commonly known in the British Isles as the robin redbreast. But it"s more orange than red, you say? That"s because when British people first named it the redbreast, probably in the 1400s, the word "orange" had not yet been introduced as a color name in the English language. Animals and other things were often named "red" even when orange or tawny: the red deer, Red Planet, and robin redbreast are all examples. Whatever you decide to call our diminutive friend, we appreciate its bright splash of color on an otherwise bleak wintry day.
So, how long till springtime?
Today in History
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Upstate autumn
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A tree of many memories
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The island fox’s incredible comeback
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Winter Olympics in Beijing
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World Space Week begins
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Happy Lunar New Year!
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It’s Draw a Bird Day
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Patriot Day
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Ukrainian Independence Day
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Tour de France
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North Cascades National Park at 50
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Everyone s watching the Perseids
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A special day for a special cat
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Balloon Ascension Day
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Let’s go foraging
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Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
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Steyr River, Austria
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A rest stop for the birds
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World Oceans Day
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Castle Day in Japan
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Hollywood s big night
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National Take a Hike Day
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Darwin s Arch
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Red fox
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A seabird gets schooled
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International Rock Day
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In praise of the old…the very old
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Churún Merú waterfall in Venezuela
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Yabba-Dabba-Doo!
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The power of the forest