The masked booby (Sula dactylatra) is a large seabird of the booby and
gannet family, Sulidae. First described by the French naturalist René
Lesson in 1831, the species is one of six in the genus Sula. It has a
long pointed yellowish bill, long neck, aerodynamic body, long slender
wings and pointed tail. The adult is bright white with black wings, a
black tail and a dark face mask; at 75 to 85 cm (30 to 33 in) long, it
is the largest species of booby. The sexes have similar plumage. The
species is not threatened; it ranges across tropical oceans, except in
the eastern Atlantic and eastern Pacific. Nesting takes place in
colonies, generally on islands and atolls far from the mainland and
close to the deep water required for foraging. Potential and mated pairs
engage in courtship and greeting displays. The female lays two chalky
white eggs in a shallow depression on flat ground away from vegetation.
These birds are spectacular high-speed plunge divers, preying mainly on
flying fish.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masked_booby>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1950:
Korean War: North Korean troops attacked United Nations forces
in the first of two battles at Wonju.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_and_Second_Battles_of_Wonju>
1993:
Brandon Teena, an American trans man, was raped and murdered in
Humboldt, Nebraska; his death led to increased lobbying for hate crime
laws in the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Teena>
1998:
The European Exchange Rate Mechanism froze the exchange rates
of the legacy currencies in the eurozone, establishing the value of the
euro.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Exchange_Rate_Mechanism>
2006:
War in Somalia: Transitional Federal Government forces attacked
the last stronghold of the Islamic Courts Union in the town of Jilib.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Jilib>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
final reckoning:
1. (Christianity, Islam, Judaism) Synonym of judgement day (“the final
trial of all humankind, both the living and the dead, by God expected to
take place at the end of the world, when each is rewarded or punished
according to their merits”) Synonyms: apocalypse, Armageddon, day of
judgment, doomsday, Final Judgment, Last Judgment
2. (figurative) The act of assessing the overall merits of something.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/final_reckoning>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
No longer can we compound attacks on truth with our silent
acquiescence. No longer can we turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to these
assaults.
--Jeff Flake
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jeff_Flake>