The black-shouldered kite (Elanus axillaris) is a small raptor found in open habitat throughout Australia. It resembles similar species found in Africa, Eurasia and North America, including the black-winged kite. Measuring around 35 cm (14 in) in length with a wingspan of 80 to 100 cm (30 to 40 in), the adult has predominantly grey and white plumage, prominent black markings above its red eyes, and black patches on its wings. Monogamous pairs engage in aerial courtship displays and breed between August and January. Three or four eggs are laid and incubated for around 30 days. Chicks are fully fledged within five weeks of hatching and can hunt for mice within a week of leaving the nest. Juveniles disperse widely from the home territory. The black-shouldered kite hunts in open fields and grasslands, searching for its prey while hovering. It mainly eats small rodents, particularly the introduced house mouse. The species is not threatened.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-shouldered_kite
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1940:
Walt Disney's Fantasia, the first commercial film shown with stereophonic sound, premiered at the Broadway Theatre in New York City. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasia_%281940_film%29
1963:
A man wielding a dagger was subdued as he was about to attack Sanzō Nosaka, the chairman of the Japanese Communist Party. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanz%C5%8D_Nosaka
1985:
Nevado del Ruiz erupted, causing a volcanic mudslide that buried the town of Armero, Colombia, killing approximately 23,000 people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armero_tragedy
1992:
The High Court of Australia ruled in Dietrich v The Queen that, although there is no absolute right to have publicly funded counsel, a judge should grant any request for an adjournment or stay in most circumstances in which an accused is unrepresented. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_v_The_Queen
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
wrangle: 1. (transitive) 2. To convince or influence (someone) by arguing or contending. 3. Followed by out of: to elicit (something) from a person by arguing or bargaining. 4. (archaic, rare) 5. To speak or write (something) in an argumentative or contentious manner. 6. To spend (time) arguing or quarrelling. 7. (Western US) To herd (horses or other livestock). 8. (by extension, humorous) To manage or supervise (people). 9. (figuratively) To gather and organize (data, facts, information, etc.), especially in a way which requires sentience rather than automated methods alone, as in data wrangling. 10. (obsolete) 11. Followed by out of: to compel or drive (someone or something) away through arguing. 12. Followed by out: to put forward arguments on (a case, a matter disagreed upon, etc.). 13. (reflexive) To cause (oneself) grief through arguing or quarrelling. 14. (intransitive) 15. (also figuratively) To quarrel angrily and noisily; to bicker. 16. To make harsh noises as if quarrelling. 17. (generally, also figuratively) To argue, to debate; also (dated), to debate or discuss publicly, especially about a thesis at a university. [...] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wrangle
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
The spiritual virtue of a sacrament is like light: although it passes among the impure, it is not polluted. --Augustine of Hippo https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo