The African river martin (Pseudochelidon eurystomina) is a perching bird, one of two members of the river martin subfamily of the swallow family, Hirundinidae. First described by German zoologist Gustav Hartlaub in 1861, the African river martin was not at first recognised as a swallow, but was later placed in a separate subfamily shared with the Asian white-eyed river martin. A large swallow with a variety of unmusical calls, it is mainly black with a blue-green gloss to the head and a greener tint to the back and wings, and has red eyes, a broad orange-red bill and a square black tail. Young birds are similar in appearance, but with browner plumage. It displays both in flight and on the ground. The main breeding areas are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo along the Congo River and its tributary, the Ubangi, in habitats characterised by a mixture of tropical forest types including swampy or seasonally flooded woodland. The African river martin is migratory, wintering in coastal savanna in southern Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. It nests in burrows in sand banks, and in winter digs tunnels for night-time shelter.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

628:

Khosrow II, the last great king of the Sasanian Empire, was overthrown by his son Kavadh II. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khosrow_II

1570:

Pope Pius V issued the papal bull Regnans in Excelsis to excommunicate Queen Elizabeth I and her followers in the Church of England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regnans_in_Excelsis

1870:

Representing Mississippi in the Senate, Hiram Rhodes Revels became the first African American to serve in the United States Congress. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiram_Rhodes_Revels

1956:

In his speech "On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences" to the 20th Party Congress, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev denounced the personality cult and dictatorship of his predecessor Joseph Stalin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Cult_of_Personality_and_Its_Consequences

1986:

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda were ousted from power by the non-violent People Power Revolution, with Corazon Aquino taking over the government. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People_Power_Revolution

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

satisfice: (social sciences, intransitive) Of human behavior: to make a choice that suffices to fulfill the minimum requirements to achieve an objective, without special regard for utility maximization or optimization of one's preferences. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/satisfice

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I look at you all — see the love there that's sleeping While my guitar gently weeps.   --George Harrison https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Harrison