The goldcrest (Regulus regulus) is a very small bird in the kinglet
family. Named for its colourful golden crest feathers, it is called the
"king of the birds" in European folklore. Several subspecies are
recognised across a very large distribution range that includes much of
Eurasia and the islands of Macaronesia. This kinglet has greenish upper-
parts and whitish under-parts, with two white wingbars. It has a bright
head crest, orange and yellow in the male and yellow in the female,
which is displayed during breeding. The song is a repetition of high
thin notes. It breeds in coniferous woodland and gardens, building its
compact, three-layered nest on a tree branch. Ten to twelve eggs are
incubated by the female alone, and the chicks are fed by both parents;
second broods are common. The bird is constantly on the move as it
searches for insects to eat. Because of its large range and population,
it presents no significant conservation concerns.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldcrest>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1855:
Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, was
founded as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the United
States' first agricultural college.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_State_University>
1909:
New Zealand's worst maritime disaster of the 20th century took
place when 75 people died after the ferry SS Penguin struck a rock in
Wellington Harbour and sank.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Penguin>
1947:
The French fashion company Christian Dior unveiled a "New Look"
that revolutionized women's dress and reestablished Paris as the center
of the fashion world after World War II.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Dior_SE>
2009:
Just before it was scheduled to land at Buffalo Niagara
International Airport, Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed into a house in
Clarence Center, New York, killing the house's occupant and all 49
people on board the aircraft.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colgan_Air_Flight_3407>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
living fossil:
1. (evolutionary theory) Any species discovered first as a fossil and
believed extinct, but which is later found living; an organism that has
remained unchanged over geological periods.
2. (evolutionary theory) Any living species which very closely resembles
fossil relatives in most anatomical details.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/living_fossil>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In vain were all her sighs and tears, In vain were all his
anxious fears: All, insubstantial, doomed to pass, As moonlight
mirrored in the water, Or flowers reflected in a glass.
--Dream of the Red Chamber
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dream_of_the_Red_Chamber>
Show replies by date