The white-eyed river martin (Pseudochelidon sirintarae) is a passerine bird in the swallow family. First found in 1968, it is known only from a single wintering site in Thailand, and may be extinct, since there have been no confirmed sightings since 1980 despite targeted surveys in Thailand and Cambodia. The adult has mainly glossy greenish-black plumage, a white rump, and a tail with two long central feathers that widen to a racket-shaped tip. It has a white eye ring and a broad, bright greenish-yellow bill. The juvenile lacks the tail ornaments and is browner. Like other swallows, it feeds on insects caught in flight, and its wide bill suggests that it may take relatively large species. It roosts in reed beds in winter, and may nest in river sandbanks. Its apparent demise may have been hastened by trapping, loss of habitat and dam construction. The martin is one of only two birds endemic to Thailand. The country's government has featured the bird on a stamp and a commemorative coin. (This article is part of a featured topic: River martin.).

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/River_martin

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1423:

Hundred Years' War: The English and their Burgundian allies were victorious over the French at the Battle of Cravant near Auxerre, France. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cravant

1777:

The Second Continental Congress passed a resolution commissioning the Marquis de Lafayette as a major general in the American revolutionary forces. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_du_Motier,_Marquis_de_Lafayette

1941:

The Holocaust: Under instructions from Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring authorised SS General Reinhard Heydrich to handle preparations for "the Final Solution of the Jewish question". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Solution

1991:

Soviet Special Purpose Police Unit troops killed seven Lithuanian customs officials in Medininkai in the most serious attack of their campaign against Lithuanian border posts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_OMON_assaults_on_Lithuanian_border_posts

_____________________________ 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:

One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results.   --Milton Friedman https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Milton_Friedman