The Cuban macaw (Ara tricolor), a species of parrot, became extinct in
the late 19th century. Native to the main island of Cuba and the nearby
Isla de la Juventud, this macaw had some similarities to the scarlet
macaw. No modern skeletons are known, but a few subfossil remains have
been found on Cuba. At about 45–50 centimetres (18–20 in) long, it
was one of the smallest macaws. It had a red, orange, yellow, and white
head, and a red, orange, green, brown, and blue body. It was reported to
nest in hollow trees, live in pairs or families, and feed on seeds and
fruits. It was mainly seen in the vast Zapata Swamp, where it inhabited
open terrain with scattered trees. The Cuban macaw was traded and hunted
by Amerindians, and by Europeans after their arrival in the 15th
century. The birds were brought to Europe as cagebirds, and 19 museum
skins exist today. The species had become rare by the mid-19th century
due to hunting, trade, and habitat destruction.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_macaw>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1862:
American Civil War: Union General Ulysses S. Grant issued
General Order No. 11, expelling Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi, and
Kentucky.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Order_No._11_%281862%29>
1918:
About 1,000 demonstrators marched on Government House in
Darwin, Australia, where they burnt an effigy of Administrator John
Gilruth and demanded his resignation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_rebellion>
1948:
The Finnish Security Police was established to remove communist
leadership from its predecessor, the State Police.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_Security_Intelligence_Service>
1970:
Soldiers fired at workers emerging from trains in Gdynia,
Poland, beginning the government's brutal crackdown on mass anti-
communist protests across the country.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970_Polish_protests>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
kiss someone's ring:
(idiomatic) To give respect or reverence to someone; to express
servitude to someone.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kiss_someone%27s_ring>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
God is the light that illuminates the darkness, even if it does
not dissolve it, and a spark of divine light is within each of us …
our species will end but the light of God will not end and at that point
it will invade all souls and it will all be in everyone.
--Pope Francis
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Pope_Francis>