The Guadeloupe amazon (Amazona violacea) is a hypothetical extinct
species of parrot that is thought to have been endemic to the Lesser
Antillean island region of Guadeloupe. Described by 17th- and 18th-
century writers, it is thought to have been related to, or possibly the
same as, the extant imperial amazon. A tibiotarsus and an ulna bone from
the island of Marie-Galante may belong to the Guadeloupe amazon.
According to contemporary descriptions, its head, neck and underparts
were mainly violet or slate, mixed with green and black; the back was
brownish green; and the wings were green, yellow and red. It had
iridescent feathers, and was able to raise a "ruff" of feathers around
its neck. It fed on fruits and nuts, and the male and female took turns
sitting on the nest. French settlers ate the birds and destroyed their
habitat. Rare by 1779, the species appears to have become extinct by the
end of the 18th century.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadeloupe_amazon>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1568:
Delegates of the Three Nations of Transylvania adopted the
Edict of Torda, allowing local communities to freely elect their
preachers in an unprecedented act of religious tolerance.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Torda>
1933:
Choudhry Rahmat Ali published a pamphlet in which he called for
the creation of a Muslim state in north-western India that he termed
"Pakstan".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_Declaration>
1958:
The Lego Group, a Danish toy company, patented the design of
Lego bricks (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego>
1981:
U.S. president Ronald Reagan lifted price controls from
petroleum products, helping usher in the 1980s oil glut.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s_oil_glut>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
caliginous:
(archaic or literary) Dark, obscure; murky.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/caliginous>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Freedoms, like privileges, prevail or are imperiled together. You
cannot harm or strive to achieve one without harming or furthering all.
--José Martí
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Mart%C3%AD>
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