The Réunion ibis (Threskiornis solitarius) is an extinct bird formerly endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Réunion. Subfossil remains were found in 1974, and it was formally described in 1987. Early travellers described a white bird on Réunion that flew with difficulty, later assumed to refer to a white relative of the dodo. The ibis subfossil suggested that the tales referred to this bird instead. The ibis was mainly white, although its wing tips and plume feathers on its rear were black. The neck and legs were long, and the beak was relatively straight and short for an ibis. Similar to its extant relatives but more robust, it was about 65 cm (25 in) long. Subfossil wing-bones indicate that it had reduced flight capabilities. The diet of the ibis was invertebrates foraged from the soil. In the 17th century it lived only in mountainous areas, perhaps due to predation by introduced animals and hunting by humans for its tasty meat. These factors had driven the ibis to extinction by the early 18th century.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9union_ibis

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1859:

A powerful solar storm began, later causing a coronal mass ejection to strike the Earth's magnetosphere that generated aurorae visible in the middle latitudes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_1859_geomagnetic_storm

1901:

Silliman University in Dumaguete, Philippines, was founded as the first American educational institution in Asia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silliman_University

1950:

In tennis, Althea Gibson became the first African-American woman to compete at the U.S. National Championships. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althea_Gibson

1993:

243 Ida became the first asteroid found to have a moon when it was visited by NASA's Galileo probe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/243_Ida

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

Faustian bargain: 1. (idiomatic) An agreement in which a person abandons his or her spiritual values or moral principles in order to obtain knowledge, wealth or other benefits. 2. (idiomatic) A deal in which one focuses on present gain without considering the long-term consequences. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Faustian_bargain

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people that cannot defend themselves. Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it.   --Donald Trump https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Donald_Trump