The Nauru reed warbler (Acrocephalus rehsei) is the only passerine land- bird that breeds on the island of Nauru in the Pacific Ocean. It is related to other Micronesian reed warblers, all of which evolved from one of several radiations of the genus across the Pacific. Related warblers on nearby islands include the Carolinian reed warbler, with which the Nauru species was initially confused, and the nightingale reed warbler. A medium-sized warbler, the Nauru reed warbler has dark brown upperparts, cream underparts and a long, thin beak. It makes a low, cup- shaped nest into which it lays two or three white eggs, and it feeds on insects. It is found throughout Nauru, whose environment has changed substantially in recent decades due to phosphate mining. The Nauru reed warbler is potentially threatened by introduced predators and habitat loss, and its small range leaves the species vulnerable to diseases and tropical cyclones. Reports of a similar warbler from nearby islands suggest that the Nauru reed warbler may have been eradicated from those islands by introduced cats.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nauru_reed_warbler
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1655:
Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens discovered Titan, the largest natural satellite of the planet Saturn. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_(moon)
1802:
France and the United Kingdom signed the Treaty of Amiens, temporarily ending the hostilities between the two during the French Revolutionary Wars. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Amiens
1917:
Following the overthrow of the Russian tsar Nicholas II, Georgia's bishops unilaterally restored the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_Orthodox_Church
1975:
King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was shot and killed by his nephew Faisal bin Musaid. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faisal_of_Saudi_Arabia
1995:
American computer programmer Ward Cunningham established the first wiki site, the WikiWikiWeb. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
in a pig's eye: (idiomatic) Very unlikely; probably never. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/in_a_pig%27s_eye
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
This is no simple reform. It really is a revolution. Sex and race, because they are easy, visible differences, have been the primary ways of organizing human beings into superior and inferior groups, and into the cheap labor on which this system still depends. We are talking about a society in which there will be no roles other than those chosen, or those earned. We are really talking about humanism. --Gloria Steinem https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gloria_Steinem