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The Northern Bald Ibis is a migratory bird found in barren,
semi-desert or rocky habitats, often near running water. This 70–80 cm
(28–31 in) glossy black ibis has an unfeathered red face and head, and
a long, curved red bill. Unlike other members of the ibis family, it
does not wade. Breeding takes place in colonies on coastal or mountain
cliff ledges, where it typically lays 2–3 eggs in a stick nest, and
feeds on lizards, insects, and other small animals. The Northern Bald
Ibis was once widespread across the Middle East, northern Africa, and
southern Europe, with a fossil record dating back at least 1.8 million
years. It disappeared from Europe over 300 years ago, and is now
considered critically endangered. There are believed to be about 500
wild birds remaining in southern Morocco, and fewer than 10 in Syria,
where it was rediscovered in 2002. To combat these ebbing numbers,
recent reintroduction programs have been instituted internationally,
with a semi-wild breeding colony in Turkey, as well as sites in
Austria, Spain, and northern Morocco. (more...)
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Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Bald_Ibis>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1881:
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, one of the most famous gunfights in
the history of the American Old West, took place in Tombstone, Arizona,
between the faction of Wyatt Earp and Ike Clanton's gang.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunfight_at_the_O.K._Corral>
1942:
World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy won a Pyrrhic victory in the
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Santa_Cruz_Islands>
1947:
Maharaja Hari Singh, ruler of Kashmir and Jammu, executed the
Instrument of Accession to accede the princely state to the newly
created India.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmir_and_Jammu_%28princely_state%29>
1985:
The Australian government returned ownership of Uluru, also known as
Ayers Rock, to the local Pitjantjatjara people.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uluru>
2000:
Laurent Gbagbo became the first President of Côte d'Ivoire since
Robert Guéï was thrown out of power during the 1999 Ivorian coup
d'état.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurent_Gbagbo>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
antihero (n):
(literature) A protagonist who proceeds in an unheroic manner, such as
by criminal means, via cowardly actions, or for mercenary goals
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/antihero>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Strategy is a system of expedients; it is more than a mere scholarly
discipline. It is the translation of knowledge to practical life, the
improvement of the original leading thought in accordance with
continually changing situations.
--Helmuth von Moltke the Elder
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Helmuth_von_Moltke_the_Elder>