The black stork (Ciconia nigra) is a large bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae. Measuring on average 95 to 100 cm (37 to 39 in) from beak tip to end of tail with a 145-to-155 cm (57-to-61 in) wingspan, the adult black stork has mainly black plumage, with white underparts, long red legs and a long pointed red beak. A widespread, but uncommon, species, it breeds in scattered locations across Europe (predominantly in Spain, and central and eastern Europe) and Asia. It is a long-distance migrant, with European populations wintering in tropical Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asian populations in the Indian subcontinent. Unlike the closely related white stork, the black stork is a shy and wary species. It is seen singly or in pairs, usually in marshy areas, rivers or inland waters. It feeds on amphibians, small fish and insects, generally wading slowly in shallow water to stalk its prey.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_stork

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1608:

Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi debuted his second opera L'Arianna, now one of his lost works, at a royal wedding in Mantua. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Arianna

1830:

U.S. President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into law, authorizing him to negotiate with Native Americans for their removal from their ancestral homelands. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Removal_Act

1977:

A fire at the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky, killed 165 patrons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Hills_Supper_Club_fire

2010:

A train derailment and collision in the Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, India, caused the deaths of at least 148 passengers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jnaneswari_Express_train_derailment

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

pyroballogy: (weaponry, obsolete, rare) The study of artillery; the practice of using artillery as a weapon. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pyroballogy

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

This country-right-or-wrong business is getting a little out-of- date. Today we are fighting Communism. Okay. If I’d been alive fifty years ago, the brand of Conservatism we have today would have been damn near called Communism and we should have been told to go and fight that. History is moving pretty quickly these days and the heroes and villains keep on changing parts.   --Ian Fleming https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ian_Fleming