Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 June 7

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Today's featured article
The Red-billed Chough is a bird in the crow family; it is one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax. It lives and breeds on mountains and coastal cliffs, from Ireland and Great Britain east through southern Europe and North Africa, and farther east to Central Asia, India, and China. It has a glossy black plumage, a long curved red bill, red legs, and a loud, ringing call. It has a buoyant, acrobatic flight with widely spread primaries. The Red-billed Chough pairs for life and displays fidelity to its breeding site, which is usually a cave or crevice in a cliff face. It builds a wool-lined stick nest and typically lays three eggs. It feeds, often in flocks, on short grazed grassland, consuming mainly invertebrate prey. The main threat to this species is changes in agricultural practices, which have led to population decline, some local extirpation, and range fragmentation in Europe; however, it is not threatened globally. The bird has also been depicted on postage stamps in a few countries, including the Isle of Man, with four different stamps, and The Gambia, where this species does not occur. (more...) Recently featured: Peter Heywood – Transit of Venus – Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that an 1888 letter written by Weldy Walker (pictured), the second African American in Major League Baseball, was called "perhaps the most passionate cry for justice ever voiced by a Negro athlete"? ... that the remains of the ancient Roman Empire settlement of Baalbek were almost completely destroyed during the Near East earthquake of 1759? ... that Polish historian Stefania Wolicka was one of the first women to receive a PhD degree in modern Europe? ... that Thomas Hart Benton's mural Achelous and Hercules, now on display at the Smithsonian, was originally painted for a women's clothing store in Kansas City? ... that local tribes have nicknamed the Malagarasi as "the river of bad spirits"? ... that geologist T. Wayland Vaughan had a private audience with Emperor Hirohito and was decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun? ... that the feature film Tortoise in Love was entirely crowd funded from the village of Kingston Bagpuize and Southmoor? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
American science fiction writer Ray Bradbury (pictured in 1975), author of Fahrenheit 451, dies at the age of 91. Astronomers around the world observe the last transit of Venus to occur this century. A thousand vessels parade down the River Thames in London as part of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. A passenger plane crashes into a building in Lagos, Nigeria, killing all 153 people on board. Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the killing of demonstrators during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
June 7: Corpus Christi (various Western Christian churches, 2012); Sette Giugno in Malta; Journalist Day in Argentina John II of Portugal 1494 – Ferdinand II of Aragon and John II of Portugal (pictured left and right, respectively) signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, dividing the Americas and Africa between their two countries. 1810 – Journalist Mariano Moreno published Argentina's first newspaper, the Gazeta de Buenos Ayres. 1929 – The Kingdom of Italy and the Holy See signed the Lateran Treaty to bring Vatican City into existence, thus ending the "Roman Question". 1975 – The inaugural Cricket World Cup, the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket, began in England. 2006 – Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, was killed when the United States Air Force bombed his safehouse near Baqubah. More anniversaries: June 6 – June 7 – June 8 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now June 7, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

Five views of a shell of queen conch, a species of large sea snail (reaching up to 35.2 cm (13.9 in) in length) native to the Caribbean Sea. It is herbivorous and lives mostly in seagrass beds. It serves as prey for many creatures, including humans, and the shells are used as decorative objects.

Photo: H. Zell

Recently featured: Adams/Wabash station, Chicago – Pitaya – Phallus indusiatus

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