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 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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April 9
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The Cathedral is an abstract painting by František Kupka, created in 1912–13 in oil on canvas. Measuring 180 × 150 cm (71 × 59 in), the work features vertical lines running the entire length of the canvas, intersected by diagonal lines to form rectilinear shapes of various sizes and colors. These evoke the effect of stained glass illuminated within a dark cathedral, inspired particularly by that of Chartres. The painting is now in the collection of the Museum Kampa in Prague, Czech Republic. Painting credit: František Kupka
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April 8
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Seattle is the largest city in the US state of Washington. With an estimated population of 780,000, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States, while the wider Seattle metropolitan area exceeds four million residents. The city lies on an isthmus between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, and it is a major port and gateway for trade with the Asia-Pacific region. Founded in 1851 and named after Chief Seattle, a local Native American leader, the city grew through logging, maritime trade, and the Klondike Gold Rush. In the 20th and 21st centuries, it has been a center for aerospace and technology led by companies such as Boeing, Microsoft, and Amazon. Today, Seattle is a major hub for trade and technology, and is known for its influence on music. This long-exposure photograph shows the skyline of Downtown Seattle at night, with Interstate 5 in the foreground. Photograph credit: Daniel Lawrence Lu
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April 7
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Goniobranchus reticulatus is a small, colourful species of sea slug in the family Chromodorididae. It is found in the western Indo-Pacific and originally described from Tongatapu, Tonga. It has a white mantle covered in a reddish reticulate pattern, with yellow edging on the foot and appendages. Several similar species occur within the G. tinctorius colour group, forming a complex of at least seven species, and the true G. reticulatus is probably not the species most commonly identified under that name. The length of the body is reported to reach 100 millimetres (3.9 in), but the original description is of an animal 27 to 34 millimetres (1.1 to 1.3 in) in length. Like other hermaphroditic gastropod molluscs, the species possesses both male and female organs, and can shed and rapidly regenerate the external portion of the penis after mating. This G. reticulatus sea slug was photographed off the coast of Anilao in the Philippines. Photograph credit: Diego Delso
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April 6
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Shiva is one of the principal deities of Hinduism and the supreme god in the tradition of Shaivism. Worshipped throughout India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and parts of Southeast Asia, he is an amalgamation of various older deities into a single figure. Alongside Brahma and Vishnu, Shiva forms part of the Trimurti, in which he is known as the "destroyer", although in many traditions he also creates, preserves and transforms the universe. He is depicted as both an ascetic yogi and as a householder with his consort Parvati and his sons Ganesha and Kartikeya. Shiva's iconography includes the trishula (trident), the third eye, the damaru, the serpent king Vasuki, the crescent moon, and the river Ganga flowing from his hair. Usually worshipped in the form of the lingam, Shiva is regarded as the patron of meditation, yoga and the arts. This painting depicts Shiva and Parvati seated together on a terrace at night, with iconographic elements including skulls, snakes, and the Ganga flowing through his hair. The work was painted around 1800 on paper in bodycolour and gold, inlaid with pieces of iridescent beetle carapace, and is now in the collection of the British Museum in London. Painting credit: unknown
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April 5
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Nadar (born Gaspard-Félix Tournachon; 5 April 1820 – 20 March 1910) was a French photographer, caricaturist, journalist, novelist, balloonist, and proponent of heavier-than-air flight. In 1858, he became the first person to take aerial photographs, and during the Siege of Paris in 1870–71, he established the first airmail service. In 1863, Nadar commissioned the prominent balloonist Eugène Godard to construct an enormous balloon, 60 metres (196 ft) high and with a capacity of 6,000 m3 (210,000 ft3), named Le Géant (The Giant). For publicity, he recreated balloon flights in his studio with his wife, Ernestine, using a rigged-up balloon gondola. This 1862 illustration by Honoré Daumier is titled Nadar élevant la Photographie à la hauteur de l'Art and shows Nadar taking photographs from a balloon basket. Photograph credit: Honoré Daumier; restored by Adam Cuerden
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April 4
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The painted francolin (Francolinus pictus), or painted partridge, is a species of francolin in the family Phasianidae. It is found in central and southern India and parts of Sri Lanka, residing in semi-dry undulating grasslands with scrub or cultivation. The painted francolin typically roosts in trees or on the ground and has a rufous face, white-spotted underparts, and orange-yellow to red legs. It feeds on seeds, grains and insects, and nests in a scrape on the ground, laying several eggs. The species is sometimes vocal, especially during the monsoon season, emitting a guttural broken "chee-kee-kerray" call. This painted francolin was photographed in Bhigwan in the Indian state of Maharashtra Photograph credit: Tisha Mukherjee
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April 3
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The Hualien earthquake occurred on 3 April 2024. It was a Mw 7.4 earthquake in Hualien County, Taiwan. At least 19 people were killed and over 1,100 were injured. It was the strongest earthquake to strike Taiwan since the 1999 Jiji earthquake. This photograph shows the partially-collapsed Uranus Building. Photograph: Shufu Liu, perspective correction made by Basile Morin
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April 2
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Junonia coenia, the common buckeye, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found as a resident or vagrant across much of North and Central America, as well as parts of northern South America, and likely originated from African ancestors that later diversified in Asia. The species typically inhabits open, sunny terrains such as fields, dunes and scrub, up to 1,300 meters (4,300 ft) in elevation. J. coenia adults are mostly brown with prominent black eyespots, while the caterpillars are spiny with complex color patterns. The caterpillars feed on plants rich in iridoid glycosides, such as Plantago lanceolata, which also influence female oviposition, while adults prefer nectar from yellow flowers. Some individuals migrate seasonally, and the species faces threats from predators, parasites, and a specific densovirus. This common buckeye butterfly was photographed in Eagle Creek Park, Indianapolis, United States. Photograph credit: Rhododendrites
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