The bee-eaters are near passerine birds of the family Meropidae,
containing three genera and twenty-seven species. Most species are found
in Africa and Asia, with a few in southern Europe, Australia, and New
Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage and slender
bodies, and usually by elongated central tail feathers. All have long
down-turned bills and medium to long wings, which may be pointed or
round. They predominantly eat flying insects, caught on the wing from an
open perch. Most bee-eaters are gregarious, forming colonies and nesting
in burrows. The eggs are white, with typically five to the clutch. Most
species are monogamous, and both parents care for the young, sometimes
with assistance from related birds in the colony. Bee-eaters may be
killed by raptors; their nests are raided by rodents and snakes, and
they can carry various parasites. Some species are adversely affected by
human activity or habitat loss, but none are threatened.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee-eater>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1781:
Fourth Anglo-Dutch War: British forces captured the Dutch
island of Sint Eustatius after a brief skirmish.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Sint_Eustatius>
1986:
Steve Jobs purchased Pixar from Lucasfilm and launched it as an
independent computer-animation studio.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixar>
2014:
Russia's first school shooting took place when a student opened
fire at School No. 263 in Moscow, resulting in the deaths of a teacher
and a police officer.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Moscow_school_shooting>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
flare:
1. (transitive) To cause to burn.
2. (transitive) To cause inflammation; to inflame.
3. (transitive, intransitive) To open outward in shape.
4. (transitive, intransitive, aviation) To (operate an aircraft to)
transition from downward flight to level flight just before landing.
5. (intransitive) To blaze brightly.
6. (intransitive) To shine out with a sudden and unsteady light; to emit
a dazzling or painfully bright light.
7. (intransitive, figuratively) To shine out with gaudy colours; to be
offensively bright or showy.
8. (intransitive, figuratively) To suddenly happen or intensify.
9. (intransitive, figuratively) To suddenly erupt in anger.
10. (intransitive, obsolete) To be exposed to too much light.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/flare>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The needs of a human being are sacred. Their satisfaction cannot
be subordinated either to reasons of state, or to any consideration of
money, nationality, race, or colour, or to the moral or other value
attributed to the human being in question, or to any consideration
whatsoever. There is no legitimate limit to the satisfaction of the
needs of a human being except as imposed by necessity and by the needs
of other human beings.
--Simone Weil
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Simone_Weil>