Brazza's martin (Phedinopsis brazzae) is a bird in the swallow family with grey-brown upperparts, black-streaked white underparts, and a brownish breast. The sexes are similar, but juveniles have more diffuse breast streaking. Its song is of a series of short notes of increasing frequency, followed by a complex buzz that is sometimes completed by a number of clicks. Its range lies within Angola, the Republic of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nesting in burrows in river banks, it lays a clutch of three white eggs. It feeds on flying insects, including termites, and may hunt over rivers or savanna. It forms mixed flocks with other swallows, but is identifiable by its combination of brown upperparts, streaked underparts, and square tail. This little-known bird appears to be common and widespread, and has been listed as a least-concern species since 2008. There may be some hunting of this martin for food, but it does not appear to be facing any serious short-term threats.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazza%27s_martin

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1941:

Second World War: Australian and British troops defeated Italian forces in Bardia, Libya, the first battle of the war in which an Australian Army formation took part. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bardia

2005:

Eris, the most massive dwarf planet known in the Solar System, was discovered through image analysis by a team at the Palomar Observatory in California. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eris_%28dwarf_planet%29

2007:

The Taiwan High Speed Rail opened, connecting Taipei and Kaohsiung. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_High_Speed_Rail

2009:

In Eng Foong Ho v Attorney-General, the Court of Appeal of Singapore held that equality before the law was satisfied by a "reasonable nexus" between state action and the object of the law. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eng_Foong_Ho_v_Attorney-General

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

rara avis: 1. A rare species or type of bird. 2. (figuratively) A rare or unique, and thus outstanding or unusual, person or thing; a rare bird. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rara_avis

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

A monk should surely love his books with humility, wishing their good and not the glory of his own curiosity; but what the temptation of adultery is for laymen and the yearning for riches is for secular ecclesiastics, the seduction of knowledge is for monks.   --Umberto Eco https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Umberto_Eco