The green rosella (Platycercus caledonicus) is a parrot native to the Australian state of Tasmania and some Bass Strait islands. The species was described by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788. At up to 37 cm (14.5 in) long, it is the largest species in its genus. Its underparts, neck and head are yellow, with a red band above the beak and violet-blue cheeks. The back is mostly black and green, and its long tail blue and green. The female has duller yellow plumage and more prominent red markings, as well as a smaller beak. Found in a wide range of habitats with some form of tree cover, the green rosella is predominantly herbivorous, consuming seeds, berries, nuts, fruits, and flowers, but it may also eat insect larvae and insects such as psyllids. Nesting takes place in tree hollows. The green rosella is widespread across Tasmania, but the King Island subspecies has been classed as vulnerable.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1816:

The French frigate Méduse ran aground off the coast of present-day Mauritania, with the survivors escaping on a makeshift raft, depicted in Théodore Géricault's painting The Raft of the Medusa (pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Raft_of_the_Medusa

1881:

U.S. president James A. Garfield was fatally shot at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station in Washington, D.C. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_James_A._Garfield

1941:

An SS unit arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania, and began the systematic execution of up to 100,000 people over the next three years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponary_massacre

2013:

The International Astronomical Union announced that the fourth and fifth moons of Pluto to be discovered would be named Kerberos and Styx, respectively. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styx_%28moon%29

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

tinge: 1. (transitive) To add a small amount of colour; to tint; (by extension) to add a small amount of some other thing. 2. (transitive, figuratively) To affect or alter slightly, particularly due to the actual or metaphorical influence of some element or thing. 3. (intransitive) To change slightly in shade due to the addition of colour; (by extension) to change slightly in quality due to the addition of some other thing. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tinge

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The doctrine you desire, absolute, perfect dogma that alone provides wisdom, does not exist. Nor should you long for a perfect doctrine, my friend. Rather, you should long for the perfection of yourself. The deity is within you, not in ideas and books. Truth is lived, not taught.   --Hermann Hesse https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hermann_Hesse