The Australian boobook (Ninox boobook) is an owl native to mainland Australia, southern New Guinea, the island of Timor, and the Sunda Islands. Described by John Latham in 1801, its name is derived from its two-tone boo-book call. Eight subspecies are recognised; three further subspecies were reclassified as separate species in 2019. The smallest owl on the Australian mainland, the boobook is 27 to 36 cm (10.5 to 14 in) long, with predominantly dark-brown plumage and prominent pale spots. It has grey-green or yellow-green eyes. It is generally nocturnal, though it is sometimes active at dawn and dusk, retiring to roost in secluded spots in the foliage of trees. The Australian boobook feeds on insects and small vertebrates, hunting by pouncing on them from tree perches. Breeding takes place from late winter to early summer, and tree hollows are used as nesting sites. The species has a large range and apparently stable population, and is not threatened.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_boobook

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1844:

The Rochdale Pioneers opened their store in Rochdale, England, forming the basis for the modern co-operative movement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochdale_Society_of_Equitable_Pioneers

1923:

Nepal and the United Kingdom signed the first treaty that defined the international status of Nepal as an independent and a sovereign nation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepal%E2%80%93Britain_Treaty_of_1923

1965:

The United Nations adopted the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which 88 member states have since signed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Convention_on_the_Elimination_of_All_Forms_of_Racial_Discrimination

1988:

The world's largest aircraft, the Antonov An-225 Mriya, made its first flight. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-225_Mriya

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

Sherman necktie: (US, rail transport, historical, chiefly in the plural) A segment of rail that has been heated and twisted into a loop, as a means of destroying a railway. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Sherman_necktie

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

What is earnest is not always true; on the contrary, error is often more earnest than truth.   --Benjamin Disraeli https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benjamin_Disraeli