The Rodrigues solitaire (Pezophaps solitaria) was a flightless bird that
was endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Rodrigues. With the extinct
dodo of Mauritius, it formed a subfamily of the pigeons and doves. The
male solitaire was much larger than the female and his plumage was a
darker grey-brown. Both sexes had a black band at the base of the hooked
beak and a long neck. They were territorial, using bony knobs on their
wings in combat. The female laid a single egg that was incubated by both
sexes. Their diet included fruits and seeds. The solitaire was first
described in detail by François Leguat, the leader of French Huguenot
refugees who were marooned on Rodrigues in 1691–1693, but little else
was known about the bird until the first of thousands of subfossil bones
were found in 1786. Hunted by humans and introduced animals, the
solitaire was extinct by the late 18th century. A former constellation
was named after it. (This article is part of a featured topic:
Raphinae.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Raphinae>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1891:
The Mino–Owari earthquake, the strongest known inland
earthquake in Japan's history, caused widespread damage and over 7,200
deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1891_Mino%E2%80%93Owari_earthquake>
1919:
The U.S. Congress passed the Volstead Act over President
Woodrow Wilson's veto, reinforcing Prohibition in the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volstead_Act>
1925:
The funerary mask of Tutankhamun, possibly originally made for
Queen Neferneferuaten, was uncovered for the first time in 3,250 years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mask_of_Tutankhamun>
1971:
Prospero, the only British satellite launched on a British
rocket to date, lifted off from Launch Area 5B at Woomera, South
Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospero_%28satellite%29>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
townland:
(Ireland) A geographical unit of land smaller than a parish.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/townland>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Last night, the United States brought the world's number one
terrorist leader to justice. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead. He was the
founder and leader of ISIS, the most ruthless and violent terror
organization in the World. The United States has been searching for
Baghdadi for many years. Capturing or killing Baghdadi has been the top
national security priority of my Administration. U.S. Special Operations
forces executed a dangerous and daring nighttime raid into Northwestern
Syria to accomplish this mission.
--Donald Trump
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Donald_Trump>
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