The common starling is a medium-sized perching bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is about 20 cm (8 in) long and has glossy black plumage, which is speckled with white at some times of year. The legs are pink and the bill is black in winter and yellow in summer; young birds have browner plumage than the adults. It is a noisy bird, especially in communal roosts, with an unmusical but varied song. The starling has about a dozen subspecies breeding in open habitats across its native range in temperate Europe and western Asia, and it has been introduced elsewhere. This bird is resident in southern and western Europe and southwestern Asia, while northeastern populations migrate south and west in winter. The starling builds an untidy nest in a natural or artificial cavity in which four or five glossy, pale blue eggs are laid. These take two weeks to hatch and the young remain in the nest for another three weeks. The species is omnivorous, taking a wide range of invertebrates, as well as seeds and fruit. The starling's gift for mimicry has been noted in literature including the medieval Welsh Mabinogion and the works of Pliny the Elder and William Shakespeare.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_starling
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
628:
Li Shimin defeated and captured Dou Jiande in the Battle of Hulao, leading to a Tang dynasty victory in the civil war that followed the collapse of the Sui dynasty. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hulao
1644:
English Civil War: Royalist troops allegedly slaughtered up to 1,600 people during their storm and capture of the Town of Bolton. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolton_Massacre
1936:
English mathematician Alan Turing introduced the Turing machine (model pictured), a basic abstract symbol-manipulating device that can simulate the logic of any computer algorithm. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing
1975:
Sixteen West African countries signed the Treaty of Lagos, establishing the Economic Community of West African States to promote economic integration. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_Community_of_West_African_States
2002:
An independent commission appointed by the English Football Association voted, two-to-one, to allow Wimbledon F.C. to relocate from London to Milton Keynes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relocation_of_Wimbledon_F.C._to_Milton_Keynes
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
crown molding: (finish carpentry, interior decorating) A molding at the edge of a room between ceiling and wall. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/crown_molding
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Possibly all art flowers more readily in silence. Certainly the state of simplicity and humility is the only desirable one for artist or for man. While to reach it may be impossible, to attempt to do so is imperative. --Patrick White https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Patrick_White
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