The scarlet myzomela (Myzomela sanguinolenta) is a small bird of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to Australia. It was described by English ornithologist John Latham in 1801. At 9 to 11 centimetres (3.5 to 4.3 in) long, it is the smallest honeyeater in Australia. It has a short tail and relatively long down-curved bill. The male (example pictured) is a striking bright red with black wings, while the female is entirely brown. It is more vocal than most honeyeaters; its varied calls include a bell-like tinkling. Found along most of the eastern coastline, the scarlet myzomela is migratory in the southern parts of its range. Its natural habitat is forest, where it forages mainly in the upper tree canopy for insects as well as nectar. Up to three broods may be raised over the course of a breeding season. The female lays two or rarely three flecked white eggs in a cup-shaped nest 5 centimetres (2 in) across, high in a tree. The species is not threatened.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_myzomela
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1559:
Henry II of France and Philip II of Spain signed a treaty to end the last Italian War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_War_of_1551%E2%80%931559
1946:
Imperial Japanese Army officer Masaharu Homma was executed for war crimes committed during the Bataan Death March. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masaharu_Homma
1981:
The Osborne 1, the first successful portable computer, was unveiled at the West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_1
1996:
A U.S. Air Force CT-43 crashed into a mountainside while attempting an instrument approach to Dubrovnik Airport in Croatia, killing all 35 people on board, including Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Croatia_USAF_CT-43_crash
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
loggerhead: 1. (obsolete) A stupid person; a blockhead, a dolt. 2. A metal tool consisting of a long rod with a bulbous end that is made hot in a fire, then plunged into some material (such as pitch or a liquid) to melt or heat it. 3. (nautical) A post on a whaling boat used to secure the harpoon rope. 4. (botany, Midlands, dialectal) Often in plural: a thistle-like flowering plant of the genus Centaurea, particularly the common knapweed (Centaurea nigra). 5. (zoology) Used as the name of various animals with large heads. 6. The loggerhead duck or Falkland steamer duck (Tachyeres brachypterus; formerly Tachyeres cinereus), a species of steamer duck endemic to the Falkland Islands. 7. The loggerhead kingbird (Tyrannus caudifasciatus), a bird endemic to the Caribbean and West Indies. 8. The rufous-tailed flycatcher (Myiarchus validus), a bird endemic to Jamaica. 9. The loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus), a bird endemic to North America. 10. The loggerhead musk turtle (Sternotherus minor), a large-headed turtle endemic to the United States. 11. The loggerhead sea turtle or loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), an oceanic turtle found throughout the world. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/loggerhead
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Lasting change is a series of compromises. And compromise is all right, as long your values don't change. --Jane Goodall https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jane_Goodall