The Rodrigues rail (Erythromachus leguati) was a flightless bird endemic to the Mascarene island of Rodrigues, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The rail was described as having grey plumage, a red beak and legs, and a naked red patch around the eye. The bird fed on tortoise eggs. It was described as being attracted to red objects, which humans exploited while hunting it. The Rodrigues rail is believed to have become extinct in the mid-18th century because of predation by introduced cats and destruction of its habitat by tortoise hunters. The bird was first documented from life by two contemporaneous accounts, first by François Leguat, a French Huguenot refugee marooned on Rodrigues in 1691, and then by Julien Tafforet, marooned on the island in 1726. Subfossil remains (pictured) were later discovered and connected with the old accounts in 1874, and the species was named E. leguati in Leguat's honour.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1667:

The Second Anglo-Dutch War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Breda. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Breda_%281667%29

1917:

First World War: The Battle of Passchendaele began near Ypres, Belgium, with the Allies aiming to force German troops to withdraw from the Channel Ports. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Passchendaele

1954:

A team of Italian climbers became the first to reach the summit of K2, the world's second-highest mountain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_Italian_Karakoram_expedition_to_K2

2007:

The Troubles: Operation Banner, the British Armed Forces' operation in Northern Ireland, ended after 38 years with a military stalemate and ceasefire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Banner

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

aposematism: (biology, chiefly zoology) An adaptation, especially a form of coloration, that warns off potential predators. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/aposematism

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The bond between a man and his profession is similar to that which ties him to his country; it is just as complex, often ambivalent, and in general it is understood completely only when it is broken: by exile or emigration in the case of one's country, by retirement in the case of a trade or profession.   --Primo Levi https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Primo_Levi