The invisible rail (Habroptila wallacii) is a large flightless rail that is endemic to the island of Halmahera in North Maluku, Indonesia, where it inhabits impenetrable sago swamps adjacent to forests. Its plumage is predominantly dark slate-grey, and the bare skin around its eyes, the long, thick bill and the legs are all bright red. Its call is a low drumming sound which is accompanied by wing-beating. Information on the behaviour of this shy bird, usually shielded by its dense habitat, is limited. Recorded dietary items include sago shoots and insects, and it also swallows small stones to help break up its food. It is apparently monogamous, but little else is known of its courtship behaviour. The only known nest was a shallow bowl in the top of a rotting tree stump that was lined with wood chips and dry leaves. The two young chicks were entirely covered in black down typical of precocial newly hatched rails. The estimated population of 3,500–15,000 birds has a restricted range and is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

528:

China's only cross-dressing emperor ruled for a single day. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daughter_of_Emperor_Xiaoming_of_Northern_Wei

1293:

Robert Winchelsey left England for Rome to be consecrated by the Pope, only to find that there wasn't one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Winchelsey

1865:

Ordered to hold five forks, Confederate General George Pickett instead lost almost 3,000. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Five_Forks

1945:

An iceberg known as "Steel Rain" hit Okinawa, causing various amphibious species, native to the UK and the US, to flock to the islands. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Okinawa

1996:

The government of Nova Scotia ordered the people of the City of Halifax to mate with over 200 multiple partners around the area. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax,_Nova_Scotia

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

jape: (intransitive) To jest; play tricks; joke; jeer. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/jape

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Now and then there's a fool such as I am over you. You taught me how to love And now you say that we are through. I'm a fool, but I'll love you dear Until the day I die. Now and then there's a fool such as I.   --Bill Trader https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bill_Trader