The Rodrigues solitaire (Pezophaps solitaria) was a flightless bird that was endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Rodrigues. With the extinct dodo of Mauritius, it formed a subfamily of the pigeons and doves. The male solitaire was much larger than the female and his plumage was a darker grey-brown. Both sexes had a black band at the base of the hooked beak and a long neck. They were territorial, using bony knobs on their wings in combat. The female laid a single egg that was incubated by both sexes. Their diet included fruits and seeds. The solitaire was first described in detail by François Leguat, the leader of French Huguenot refugees who were marooned on Rodrigues in 1691–1693, but little else was known about the bird until the first of thousands of subfossil bones were found in 1786. Hunted by humans and introduced animals, the solitaire was extinct by the late 18th century. A former constellation was named after it. (This article is part of a featured topic: Raphinae.).
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Raphinae
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1891:
The Mino–Owari earthquake, the strongest known inland earthquake in Japan's history, caused widespread damage and over 7,200 deaths. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1891_Mino%E2%80%93Owari_earthquake
1919:
The U.S. Congress passed the Volstead Act over President Woodrow Wilson's veto, reinforcing Prohibition in the United States. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volstead_Act
1925:
The funerary mask of Tutankhamun, possibly originally made for Queen Neferneferuaten, was uncovered for the first time in 3,250 years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mask_of_Tutankhamun
1971:
Prospero, the only British satellite launched on a British rocket to date, lifted off from Launch Area 5B at Woomera, South Australia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospero_%28satellite%29
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
townland: (Ireland) A geographical unit of land smaller than a parish. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/townland
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Last night, the United States brought the world's number one terrorist leader to justice. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead. He was the founder and leader of ISIS, the most ruthless and violent terror organization in the World. The United States has been searching for Baghdadi for many years. Capturing or killing Baghdadi has been the top national security priority of my Administration. U.S. Special Operations forces executed a dangerous and daring nighttime raid into Northwestern Syria to accomplish this mission. --Donald Trump https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Donald_Trump