The rock parrot (Neophema petrophila) is a species of grass parrot
native to Australia. Described by John Gould in 1841, it is a small
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dden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}22 to 24 cm (8+3⁄4 to
9+1⁄2 in) long and weighing 50 to 60 g (1+3⁄4 to 2 oz) with
predominantly olive-brown upperparts and more yellowish underparts. Its
head is olive with light blue forecheeks and lores, and a dark blue
frontal band line across the crown with lighter blue above and below.
The sexes are similar in appearance, although the female tends to have a
duller frontal band and less blue on the face. The preferred habitats
are rocky islands and coastal dune areas from Lake Alexandrina in
southeastern South Australia westwards across coastal South and Western
Australia to Shark Bay. Unlike other grass parrots, it nests in burrows
or rocky crevices mostly on offshore islands such as Rottnest Island.
Seeds of grasses and succulent plants form the bulk of its diet. The
species is not threatened, but it has suffered in the face of feral
mammals.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_parrot>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1693:
The most powerful earthquake recorded in Italy, registering
7.4 Mw, struck the island of Sicily.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1693_Sicily_earthquake>
1914:
The Karluk, the flagship of the Canadian Arctic Expedition,
sank after being crushed by ice.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_voyage_of_the_Karluk>
1964:
In a landmark report (cover pictured), U.S. surgeon general
Luther Terry issued a warning that tobacco smoking may be hazardous to
health, concluding that it has a causative role in lung cancer, chronic
bronchitis, and other illnesses.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoking_and_Health>
2003:
After Chicago police detective Jon Burge was discovered to have
forced confessions from more than 200 suspects, the governor of Illinois
commuted the death sentences of 167 prisoners and pardoned four others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Burge>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
ornery:
1. (originally and chiefly US, especially Appalachia, informal)
Disagreeable, stubborn, and troublesome to deal with; cantankerous.
2. (Southern US, humorous, informal) Troublesome to deal with in a good
way; mischievous, prankish, teasing.
3. (obsolete) Ordinary, commonplace; hence, inferior, plain-looking,
unpleasant.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ornery>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Faith is something that comes out of the soul. It is not an
information that is absorbed but an attitude, existing prior to the
formulation of any creed.
--Abraham Joshua Heschel
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Abraham_Joshua_Heschel>
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