The red-billed quelea (Quelea quelea) is a small, migratory, sparrow- like bird of the weaver family, Ploceidae, native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is approximately 12 cm (4.7 in) long and weighs 15 to 26 g (0.53 to 0.92 oz) Non-breeding birds have light underparts, striped brown upper parts, yellow-edged flight feathers and a reddish bill. Breeding females attain a yellowish bill. Breeding males have a black (or rarely white) facial mask, surrounded by a purplish, pinkish, rusty or yellowish wash on the head and breast. The species avoids forests, deserts and colder areas. It constructs oval roofed nests woven from strips of grass hanging from thorny branches, sugar cane or reeds. It breeds in very large colonies. The quelea feeds primarily on seeds of annual grasses, but also causes extensive damage to cereal crops. It is regarded as the most numerous undomesticated bird on earth, with the population sometimes peaking at an estimated 1.5 billion individuals.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-billed_quelea> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1929: On "Black Thursday", the New York Stock Exchange lost 11 percent of its value at the opening bell on very heavy trading, marking the beginning of the Great Depression. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street_crash_of_1929> 1930: The Pacification Junta deposed Brazillian president Washington Luís, ending the Brazilian Revolution of 1930. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Revolution_of_1930> 2004: English football club Manchester United defeated rivals Arsenal 2–0 in the Battle of the Buffet, ending the latter's record-breaking unbeaten run. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Buffet> 2015: Lam Wing-kee, the owner of Causeway Bay Books in Hong Kong, known for publishing political books banned in mainland China, was abducted by Chinese authorities. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causeway_Bay_Books_disappearances> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: wick: 1. (countable) A braid or bundle of fibre or other porous material (now generally twisted or woven cotton) in a candle, kerosene heater, oil lamp, etc., that draws up a liquid fuel (such as melted tallow or wax, or oil) at one end, to be ignited at the other end to produce a flame. 2. (uncountable) Synonym of wicking (“the material of which wicks (sense 1) are made”). 3. (countable, by extension) Any piece of porous material that conveys liquid by capillary action; specifically (medicine), a strip of gauze placed in a wound, etc., to absorb fluids. [...] 4. (transitive) Of a material (especially a textile): to convey or draw off (liquid) by capillary action. 5. (intransitive) 6. Of a material: to convey or draw off liquid by capillary action. 7. Chiefly followed by through or up: of a liquid: to move by capillary action through a porous material. [...] <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wick> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: There's never been a president that was good at ballrooms. … I'm good at building things, and we'll get it built quickly and on time and it'll be beautiful. It'll be built over on the east side, and it will be beautiful. It'll be views of the Washington Monument. It won't interfere with the current building. … It'll be near it but not touching it. And pays total respect to the existing building, which I'm the biggest fan of. It's my favorite. It's my favorite place. I love it. --Donald Trump <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Donald_Trump> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe write to: [email protected] Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
