The masked booby (Sula dactylatra) is a large seabird of the booby and gannet family, Sulidae. First described by the French naturalist René Lesson in 1831, the species is one of six in the genus Sula. It has a long pointed yellowish bill, long neck, aerodynamic body, long slender wings and pointed tail. The adult is bright white with black wings, a black tail and a dark face mask; at 75 to 85 cm (30 to 33 in) long, it is the largest species of booby. The sexes have similar plumage. The species is not threatened; it ranges across tropical oceans, except in the eastern Atlantic and eastern Pacific. Nesting takes place in colonies, generally on islands and atolls far from the mainland and close to the deep water required for foraging. Potential and mated pairs engage in courtship and greeting displays. The female lays two chalky white eggs in a shallow depression on flat ground away from vegetation. These birds are spectacular high-speed plunge divers, preying mainly on flying fish.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1950:

Korean War: North Korean troops attacked United Nations forces in the first of two battles at Wonju. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_and_Second_Battles_of_Wonju

1993:

Brandon Teena, an American trans man, was raped and murdered in Humboldt, Nebraska; his death led to increased lobbying for hate crime laws in the United States. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Teena

1998:

The European Exchange Rate Mechanism froze the exchange rates of the legacy currencies in the eurozone, establishing the value of the euro. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Exchange_Rate_Mechanism

2006:

War in Somalia: Transitional Federal Government forces attacked the last stronghold of the Islamic Courts Union in the town of Jilib. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Jilib

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

final reckoning: 1. (Christianity, Islam, Judaism) Synonym of judgement day (“the final trial of all humankind, both the living and the dead, by God expected to take place at the end of the world, when each is rewarded or punished according to their merits”) Synonyms: apocalypse, Armageddon, day of judgment, doomsday, Final Judgment, Last Judgment 2. (figurative) The act of assessing the overall merits of something. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/final_reckoning

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

No longer can we compound attacks on truth with our silent acquiescence. No longer can we turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to these assaults.   --Jeff Flake https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jeff_Flake