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The Northern Bald Ibis is a migratory bird found in barren, semi-desert or rocky habitats, often near running water. This 70–80 cm (28–31 in) glossy black ibis has an unfeathered red face and head, and a long, curved red bill. Unlike other members of the ibis family, it does not wade. Breeding takes place in colonies on coastal or mountain cliff ledges, where it typically lays 2–3 eggs in a stick nest, and feeds on lizards, insects, and other small animals. The Northern Bald Ibis was once widespread across the Middle East, northern Africa, and southern Europe, with a fossil record dating back at least 1.8 million years. It disappeared from Europe over 300 years ago, and is now considered critically endangered. There are believed to be about 500 wild birds remaining in southern Morocco, and fewer than 10 in Syria, where it was rediscovered in 2002. To combat these ebbing numbers, recent reintroduction programs have been instituted internationally, with a semi-wild breeding colony in Turkey, as well as sites in Austria, Spain, and northern Morocco. (more...)

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1881:

The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, one of the most famous gunfights in the history of the American Old West, took place in Tombstone, Arizona, between the faction of Wyatt Earp and Ike Clanton's gang. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunfight_at_the_O.K._Corral

1942:

World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy won a Pyrrhic victory in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Santa_Cruz_Islands

1947:

Maharaja Hari Singh, ruler of Kashmir and Jammu, executed the Instrument of Accession to accede the princely state to the newly created India. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmir_and_Jammu_%28princely_state%29

1985:

The Australian government returned ownership of Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, to the local Pitjantjatjara people. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uluru

2000:

Laurent Gbagbo became the first President of Côte d'Ivoire since Robert Guéï was thrown out of power during the 1999 Ivorian coup d'état. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurent_Gbagbo

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

antihero (n): (literature) A protagonist who proceeds in an unheroic manner, such as by criminal means, via cowardly actions, or for mercenary goals http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/antihero

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Strategy is a system of expedients; it is more than a mere scholarly discipline. It is the translation of knowledge to practical life, the improvement of the original leading thought in accordance with continually changing situations. --Helmuth von Moltke the Elder http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Helmuth_von_Moltke_the_Elder