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Museum specimen

The hoopoe starling (Fregilupus varius) is a bird species that lived on the Mascarene island of Réunion and became extinct in the 1850s. Its closest relatives were the also-extinct Rodrigues starling and Mauritius starling from nearby islands. It was first mentioned during the 17th century and long thought to be related to the hoopoe, but it was confirmed as a starling in a DNA study. It was 30 cm (12 in) long with primarily white and grey plumage, with darker brown and grey on its back, wings and tail and a light crest that curled forwards. Males are thought to have been larger and had more curved beaks, and juveniles were more brown than the adults. The starling was omnivorous and foraged near the ground, as indicated by its robust feet, claws and jaws. The flocks inhabited humid areas and marshes. The birds may have gone extinct due to disease, deforestation, and competition with introduced species, as well as being hunted by humans. Nineteen specimens exist in museums. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Africae Tabula Nova

... that Africae Tabula Nova (pictured) depicts the Niger River passing underground for about 60 miles (97 km), in accordance with a Latin legend?
... that David Bowie wrote his 1971 track "Life on Mars?" as a parody of Frank Sinatra's "My Way"?
... that the platform shelters in the redevelopment concept design for Bayswater railway station, Perth, were criticised for looking like a trestle table?
... that when the Rhodesian Guard Force was disbanded in 1980, Brigadier Bill Godwin advised his men to fade away?
... that inside a building, the desert subterranean termite can form free-standing tubes descending from the ceiling?
... that cosmetologist Pauline Brown Humphrey opened a beauty shop for African-American women in the Women's Army Corps in Fort Des Moines?
... that the Cathedral of Nocera Umbra probably rests on the foundations of a temple dedicated to the goddess Favonia?
... that watching Tacoma, Washington's KTVW "used to be worse than no TV at all"?

In the news

Abdalla Hamdok

In Sudan, a military coup deposes the government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok (pictured).
Ahead of Barbados becoming a republic, Sandra Mason is elected as the country's first president.
Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny is awarded the Sakharov Prize.
PAICV candidate José Maria Neves is elected President of Cape Verde.

On this day

October 26

Chicago Theatre

1341 – The Byzantine army proclaimed chief minister John VI Kantakouzenos emperor, triggering a civil war between his supporters and those of John V Palaiologos, the heir to the throne.
1902 – A group of Russian explorers led by Baron von Toll left their camp on Bennett Island and disappeared without a trace.
1921 – The Chicago Theatre (pictured), the oldest surviving grand movie palace, opened.
1955 – Ngô Đình Diệm proclaimed himself president of the newly created Republic of Vietnam after defeating former emperor Bảo Đại in a fraudulent referendum supervised by his brother Ngô Đình Nhu.
2001 – President George W. Bush signed the Patriot Act into law, significantly expanding the authority of law enforcement agencies in fighting terrorism in the United States and elsewhere.

Sir John Gell, 1st Baronet (d. 1671)
William T. Anderson (d. 1864)
Elizabeth Cady Stanton (d. 1902)

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Today's featured picture

The rockwarbler (Origma solitaria) is a species of bird in the Australian warbler family Acanthizidae. It is found only in the Australian state of New South Wales, where its preferred habitat is woodland with cliffs and gullies and exposed sandstone or limestone rocks. Its nest is a hanging structure in a cave, made of grasses, roots, bark and moss, with spider web used as an adhesive. The species is listed as being of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This rockwarbler was photographed in the Royal National Park.

Photograph credit: John Harrison

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