The Réunion ibis (Threskiornis solitarius) is an extinct bird formerly
endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Réunion. Subfossil remains were
found in 1974, and it was formally described in 1987. Early travellers
described a white bird on Réunion that flew with difficulty, later
assumed to refer to a white relative of the dodo. The ibis subfossil
suggested that the tales referred to this bird instead. The ibis was
mainly white, although its wing tips and plume feathers on its rear were
black. The neck and legs were long, and the beak was relatively straight
and short for an ibis. Similar to its extant relatives but more robust,
it was about 65 cm (25 in) long. Subfossil wing-bones indicate that it
had reduced flight capabilities. The diet of the ibis was invertebrates
foraged from the soil. In the 17th century it lived only in mountainous
areas, perhaps due to predation by introduced animals and hunting by
humans for its tasty meat. These factors had driven the ibis to
extinction by the early 18th century.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9union_ibis>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1859:
A powerful solar storm began, later causing a coronal mass
ejection to strike the Earth's magnetosphere that generated aurorae
visible in the middle latitudes.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_1859_geomagnetic_storm>
1901:
Silliman University in Dumaguete, Philippines, was founded as
the first American educational institution in Asia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silliman_University>
1950:
In tennis, Althea Gibson became the first African-American
woman to compete at the U.S. National Championships.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althea_Gibson>
1993:
243 Ida became the first asteroid found to have a moon when it
was visited by NASA's Galileo probe.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/243_Ida>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
Faustian bargain:
1. (idiomatic) An agreement in which a person abandons his or her
spiritual values or moral principles in order to obtain knowledge,
wealth or other benefits.
2. (idiomatic) A deal in which one focuses on present gain without
considering the long-term consequences.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Faustian_bargain>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no
longer beat up on people that cannot defend themselves. Nobody knows
the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it.
--Donald Trump
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Donald_Trump>