The mangrove swallow (Tachycineta albilinea) is a bird in the swallow family that breeds in coastal regions of Mexico and Central America. It is a seasonal breeder and is territorial when breeding, much like the related tree swallow. Its nests are frequently found near water, no more than 2 metres (7 ft) above the ground. It usually forages close to the nest when feeding its chicks, but will go much further when foraging for itself. In between foraging attempts, it perches near water. It subsists primarily on a diet of flying insects, including dragonflies and bees, unusually large prey for a bird of its size. It has blue-green upperparts, white underparts, a white streak above the eye, and blackish flight and tail feathers. This swallow's song is a soft trilling, with a rolled jeerrt call, and a sharp alarm note. With a slowly decreasing population of at least 500,000 individuals, the mangrove swallow is classified as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove_swallow
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1876:
Alexander Graham Bell made his first successful bi-directional telephone call, saying, "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invention_of_the_telephone
1915:
First World War: The Battle of Neuve Chapelle opened, the first deliberately planned British offensive of the war. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Neuve_Chapelle
1952:
Facing likely electoral defeat, former Cuban President Fulgencio Batista staged a coup d'état to resume control. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgencio_Batista
1977:
Astronomers using NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory discovered a faint planetary ring system (false-color image pictured) around Uranus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rings_of_Uranus
2005:
Tung Chee-hwa, the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong, announced his resignation following widespread dissatisfaction with his leadership. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tung_Chee-hwa
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
radish: 1. A plant of the Brassicaceae family, Raphanus sativus or Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus, having an edible root. 2. The root of this plant used as food. Some varieties are pungent and usually eaten raw in salads, etc., while others have a milder taste and are cooked. 3. With a distinguishing word: some other plant of the Raphanus genus or Brassicaceae family. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/radish
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
If there is an invisible church, then it is of the great paradox, which is inseparable from morality, and which must be distinguished from the merely philosophical. People who are so eccentric that they are completely serious in being and becoming virtuous understand one another in everything, find one another easily, and form a silent opposition against the prevailing immorality that pretends to be morality. A certain mysticism of expression, which joined with romantic fantasy and grammatical understanding, can be something charming and good, often serves as a symbol of their beautiful secrets. --Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Karl_Wilhelm_Friedrich_Schlegel