From today's featured article
|
Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae that are found worldwide, generally near the sea, rivers or wetlands. They are slender, lightly built birds with long forked tails, narrow wings, long bills and relatively short legs. Most species are pale grey above and white below, with a contrasting black cap, but the marsh terns, the Inca tern and some noddies have dark plumage for at least part of the year. The sexes are identical in appearance. They are birds of open habitats that typically breed in noisy colonies and lay their eggs on bare ground with little or no nest material. Many terns are long-distance migrants, and the Arctic tern, migrating each year between the Arctic and Antarctic, may see more daylight in a year than any other animal. They are long-lived birds and are relatively free from natural predators and parasites, but most species are declining in numbers through habitat loss, polluted waters, human encroachment and predation by introduced mammals. Three tern species are classed as endangered, and the Chinese crested tern is critically endangered. International agreements provide a measure of protection, but adults and eggs of some species are still used for food in the tropics. (Full article...)
|
Did you know...
|
- ... that the Los Angeles Times Magazine named Claudia Cardinale (pictured) among the 50 most beautiful women in film history in February 2011?
- ... that the Sunnyboys' self-titled 1981 debut album was rated as one of the 100 Best Australian Albums?
- ... that some of the brightest stars in the sky are Beta Cephei variables?
- ... that acroporid coral species Acropora abrolhosensis, A. anthocercis, A. awi, A. batunai, A. caroliniana, A. dendrum, A. derawanensis, A. desalwii, A. donei, A. echinata, A. elegans, A. hemprichii, A. hoeksemai, A. horrida, A. indonesia, A. kimbeensis, A. kirstyae, A. kosurini, A. loisetteae, A. lokani, A. microclados, A. multiacuta, A. paniculata, A. papillare, A. pharaonis, A. plumosa, and A. polystoma are all classed as vulnerable?
- ... that Muddy Run is impacted by sediment, E. coli, nutrient pollution, and thermal radiation?
- ... that the first interracial kiss on television occurred in an episode of Emergency Ward 10, not Star Trek as popularly claimed?
- ... that Miroslav Klose's record 71 goals for the Germany national football team included 16 at the FIFA World Cup?
- ... that the use of umbrellas is forbidden in Iwoye-Ketu?
|
|
|
In the news
|
|
|
On this day...
|
August 14: Independence Day in Pakistan (1947)
- 1816 – The United Kingdom formally annexed the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, ruling it from the Cape Colony in South Africa.
- 1888 – A recording of English composer Arthur Sullivan's The Lost Chord (audio featured), one of the first recordings of music ever made, was played during a press conference introducing Thomas Edison's phonograph in London.
- 1941 – After a secret meeting off the Canadian coast, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and US President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the Atlantic Charter, establishing a vision for a post-World War II world despite the fact that the United States had yet to enter the war.
- 1975 – The film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which is still in limited release today, making it the longest-running theatrical release in film history, premiered in Los Angeles.
- 2005 – Helios Airways Flight 522 crashed into a mountain north of Marathon and Varnava, Greece, killing all 121 people on board.
|
|
.jpg){kind=link}
