The pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba) is a seabird in the auk family,
Alcidae. It is dark brown with a black iridescent sheen and a
distinctive wing patch broken by a brown-black wedge in breeding
plumage. Its non-breeding plumage has mottled grey and black upperparts
and white underparts. The long bill is black, as are the claws. The
legs, feet, and inside of the mouth are red. It closely resembles the
black guillemot, which is slightly smaller and lacks the dark wing
wedge; combined, the two form a superspecies. Pigeon guillemots are
found on North Pacific coastal waters, from Siberia through Alaska to
California. They dive and pursue prey underwater, mostly small fish and
marine invertebrates near the sea floor. They are monogamous breeders,
nesting in small colonies close to the shore. Both parents incubate the
eggs and feed the chicks. The species has a large, stable population and
wide range.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigeon_guillemot>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1516:
The best-known version of the Reinheitsgebot, German
regulations on the purity of beer, was adopted in Bavaria.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinheitsgebot>
1918:
First World War: The British Royal Navy conducted an
unsuccessful raid on the German-occupied Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeebrugge_Raid>
1951:
American journalist William N. Oatis was arrested for espionage
by the communist government of Czechoslovakia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_N._Oatis>
1971:
The Rolling Stones released Sticky Fingers, the first album on
their own label, Rolling Stones Records.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sticky_Fingers>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
Gramarye:
(literary, Arthurian, rare) The island of Britain.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Gramarye>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Be collected; No more amazement; tell your piteous heart
There's no harm done.
--The Tempest
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Tempest>