The scarlet myzomela (Myzomela sanguinolenta) is a small bird of the
honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to Australia. It was described by
English ornithologist John Latham in 1801. At 9 to 11 centimetres (3.5
to 4.3 in) long, it is the smallest honeyeater in Australia. It has a
short tail and relatively long down-curved bill. The male (example
pictured) is a striking bright red with black wings, while the female is
entirely brown. It is more vocal than most honeyeaters; its varied calls
include a bell-like tinkling. Found along most of the eastern coastline,
the scarlet myzomela is migratory in the southern parts of its range.
Its natural habitat is forest, where it forages mainly in the upper tree
canopy for insects as well as nectar. Up to three broods may be raised
over the course of a breeding season. The female lays two or rarely
three flecked white eggs in a cup-shaped nest 5 centimetres (2 in)
across, high in a tree. The species is not threatened.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_myzomela>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1559:
Henry II of France and Philip II of Spain signed a treaty to
end the last Italian War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_War_of_1551%E2%80%931559>
1946:
Imperial Japanese Army officer Masaharu Homma was executed for
war crimes committed during the Bataan Death March.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masaharu_Homma>
1981:
The Osborne 1, the first successful portable computer, was
unveiled at the West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_1>
1996:
A U.S. Air Force CT-43 crashed into a mountainside while
attempting an instrument approach to Dubrovnik Airport in Croatia,
killing all 35 people on board, including Secretary of Commerce Ron
Brown.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Croatia_USAF_CT-43_crash>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
loggerhead:
1. (obsolete) A stupid person; a blockhead, a dolt.
2. A metal tool consisting of a long rod with a bulbous end that is made
hot in a fire, then plunged into some material (such as pitch or a
liquid) to melt or heat it.
3. (nautical) A post on a whaling boat used to secure the harpoon rope.
4. (botany, Midlands, dialectal) Often in plural: a thistle-like
flowering plant of the genus Centaurea, particularly the common knapweed
(Centaurea nigra).
5. (zoology) Used as the name of various animals with large heads.
6. The loggerhead duck or Falkland steamer duck (Tachyeres brachypterus;
formerly Tachyeres cinereus), a species of steamer duck endemic to the
Falkland Islands.
7. The loggerhead kingbird (Tyrannus caudifasciatus), a bird endemic to
the Caribbean and West Indies.
8. The rufous-tailed flycatcher (Myiarchus validus), a bird endemic to
Jamaica.
9. The loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus), a bird endemic to North
America.
10. The loggerhead musk turtle (Sternotherus minor), a large-headed
turtle endemic to the United States.
11. The loggerhead sea turtle or loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), an
oceanic turtle found throughout the world.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/loggerhead>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Lasting change is a series of compromises. And compromise is all
right, as long your values don't change.
--Jane Goodall
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jane_Goodall>
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