100px|Bird, Variegated Fairy-wren, Malurus lamberti

The Variegated Fairywren is a fairywren that lives in diverse habitats spread across most of Australia. Four subspecies are recognised. Exhibiting a high degree of sexual dimorphism, the brightly coloured breeding male has chestnut shoulders and blue crown and ear coverts, while non-breeding males, females and juveniles have predominantly grey-brown plumage. Notably, females of the two subspecies rogersi and dulcis have mainly blue-grey plumage. Like other fairywrens, the Variegated Fairywren is a cooperative breeding species, with small groups of birds maintaining and defending small territories year-round. Groups consist of a socially monogamous pair with several helper birds who assist in raising the young. Male wrens pluck yellow petals and display them to females as part of a courtship display. These birds are primarily insectivorous and forage and live in the shelter of scrubby vegetation across 90% of continental Australia, which is a wider range than that of any other fairywren. (more...)

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1789:

The Power of Sympathy by William Hill Brown, widely considered to be the first American novel, was published. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Sympathy

1931:

Sir Isaac Isaacs became the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Isaacs

1941:

Sparked by the murder of a German officer in Bucharest, Romania, the day before, members of the Iron Guard engaged in a rebellion and pogrom, killing 125 Jews. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legionnaires%27_rebellion_and_Bucharest_pogrom

1968:

Vietnam War: The Vietnam People's Army attacked Khe Sanh Combat Base, a U.S. Marines outpost in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, starting the Battle of Khe Sanh. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khe_Sanh

2008:

The Eyak language in Alaska became extinct after Marie Smith Jones, the language's last native speaker, died, an event that became a symbol in the fight against language extinction. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyak_language

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

bacchanal (adj): 1. Relating to Bacchus or his festival. 2. Engaged in drunken revels; drunken and riotous or noisy http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bacchanal

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The gods of the valley are not the gods of the hills, and you shall understand it. --Ethan Allen http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ethan_Allen