The Mascarene grey parakeet (Psittacula bensoni) was a parrot from the
Mascarene islands of Mauritius and Réunion in the western Indian Ocean
that became extinct by the 1760s. It has been classified as a member of
the tribe Psittaculini, along with other parrots from the islands.
Subfossil bones of this parakeet found on Mauritius were very similar to
those of other Mascarene parrots. The subfossils were connected with
17th- and 18th-century descriptions of small grey parrots on Mauritius
and Réunion, together with a single illustration published in a journal
describing a voyage in 1602. The Mascarene grey parakeets had long tails
and were larger than the many green species of the genus Psittacula.
They were hunted for their meat, and were considered to be crop pests.
Captured individuals would call out to summon a whole flock, a behaviour
that may have contributed to their rapid annihilation. Deforestation was
also a factor in their extinction.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mascarene_grey_parakeet>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1649:
King Charles I, who was defeated in both the First and the
Second English Civil Wars, was beheaded for high treason in front of the
Banqueting House in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_England>
1835:
Richard Lawrence became the first person to make an
assassination attempt on a sitting U.S. president when he failed to kill
Andrew Jackson and was subdued by the crowd.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lawrence_%28failed_assassin%29>
1959:
On the return leg of her maiden voyage, the "unsinkable" Danish
ocean liner Hans Hedtoft hit an iceberg and sank with all 95 passengers
and crew lost.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Hans_Hedtoft>
2000:
Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near
Ivory Coast shortly after takeoff, killing 169 on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya_Airways_Flight_431>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
dehort:
(transitive, rare or obsolete) To dissuade.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dehort>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am concerned about the attitude of a candidate or his sponsors
with respect to the rights of American citizens to assemble peaceably
and to express publicly their views and opinions on important social and
economic issues. There can be no constitutional democracy in any
community which denies to the individual his freedom to speak and
worship as he wishes. The American people will not be deceived by anyone
who attempts to suppress individual liberty under the pretense of
patriotism.
--Franklin D. Roosevelt
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt>