The Mascarene grey parakeet (Psittacula bensoni) was a parrot from the Mascarene islands of Mauritius and Réunion in the western Indian Ocean that became extinct by the 1760s. It has been classified as a member of the tribe Psittaculini, along with other parrots from the islands. Subfossil bones of this parakeet found on Mauritius were very similar to those of other Mascarene parrots. The subfossils were connected with 17th- and 18th-century descriptions of small grey parrots on Mauritius and Réunion, together with a single illustration published in a journal describing a voyage in 1602. The Mascarene grey parakeets had long tails and were larger than the many green species of the genus Psittacula. They were hunted for their meat, and were considered to be crop pests. Captured individuals would call out to summon a whole flock, a behaviour that may have contributed to their rapid annihilation. Deforestation was also a factor in their extinction.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1649:

King Charles I, who was defeated in both the First and the Second English Civil Wars, was beheaded for high treason in front of the Banqueting House in London. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_England

1835:

Richard Lawrence became the first person to make an assassination attempt on a sitting U.S. president when he failed to kill Andrew Jackson and was subdued by the crowd. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lawrence_%28failed_assassin%29

1959:

On the return leg of her maiden voyage, the "unsinkable" Danish ocean liner Hans Hedtoft hit an iceberg and sank with all 95 passengers and crew lost. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Hans_Hedtoft

2000:

Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Ivory Coast shortly after takeoff, killing 169 on board. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya_Airways_Flight_431

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

dehort: (transitive, rare or obsolete) To dissuade. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dehort

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I am concerned about the attitude of a candidate or his sponsors with respect to the rights of American citizens to assemble peaceably and to express publicly their views and opinions on important social and economic issues. There can be no constitutional democracy in any community which denies to the individual his freedom to speak and worship as he wishes. The American people will not be deceived by anyone who attempts to suppress individual liberty under the pretense of patriotism.   --Franklin D. Roosevelt https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt