Main Page

The Greater Crested Tern is a seabird in the tern family, which nests in dense colonies on coastlines and islands in the tropical and subtropical Old World. Its five subspecies breed in the area from South Africa around the Indian Ocean to the central Pacific and Australia, all populations dispersing widely from the breeding range after nesting. The Greater Crested Tern has grey upperparts, white underparts, a yellow bill, and a shaggy black crest which recedes in winter. Its young have a distinctive appearance, with strongly patterned grey, brown and white plumage, and rely on their parents for food for several months after they have fledged. Like all members of the genus Thalasseus, the Greater Crested Tern feeds by plunge diving for fish, usually in marine environments; the male offers fish to the female as part of the courtship ritual. This is an adaptable species which has learned to follow fishing boats for jettisoned bycatch, and to utilise unusual nest sites such as the roofs of buildings and artificial islands in salt pans and sewage works. Its eggs and young are taken by gulls and ibises, and human activities such as fishing, shooting and egg harvesting have caused local population declines. There are no global conservation concerns for this bird, which has a stable total population of more than 500,000 individuals. (more...)

From Wikipedia's newest articles:

• ... that Hans Eworth was a Flemish artist of the Tudor court known for his allegorical paintings and his portraits of Queen Mary I (pictured)?
• ... that though communism was created by an atheist, communism and religion have not always had a hostile relationship?
• ... that the Sayre Fire resulted in the worst loss of homes due to fire in the history of Los Angeles, surpassing the loss of 484 residences in the 1961 Bel Air fire?
• ... that by Christmas Eve 1942, the German 17th Panzer Division had only eight tanks and one anti-tank gun left after its failed attempt to break through to Stalingrad?
• ... that Carl D. Keith and John J. Mooney co-invented the three-way catalytic converter, which has cut nitrogen oxide emissions from cars by 98 percent since the 1970s?
• ... that the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary formerly used Police Motu, a lingua franca pidgin of Motu, as its working language?
• ... that the church of Valmagne Abbey in south-central France has been used as a wine cave since the abbey was confiscated and sold during the French Revolution?
• ... that Whitcomb L. Judson is recognized as the inventor of the zipper?
  
  
  Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

• War crimes are reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after a ceasefire in the Kivu conflict is broken and fighting resumes, with at least 100 civilians dead.
• Somali pirates capture the oil tanker MV Sirius Star (pictured), the largest vessel to date to be hijacked, off the coast of the Horn of Africa.
• G-20 leaders meet at a summit in Washington, D.C. to discuss the current financial crisis.
• Indian spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 successfully lands the Moon Impact Probe on the lunar south pole.
• Three planets orbiting the star HR 8799 and one planet orbiting the star Fomalhaut are optically verified, making them the first extrasolar planets whose existences have been confirmed via direct imaging.
• Egypt's antiquities chief, Zahi Hawass, announces the discovery of a 4,300-year-old pyramid belonging to Queen Sesheshet, mother of King Teti.
  Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...

November 19: Liberation Day in Mali

• 1493 – Christopher Columbus became the first European to land on Puerto Rico, an island he named San Juan Bautista after John the Baptist.
• 1863 – American Civil War: U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
• 1941 – World War II: The Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney and the German auxiliary cruiser HSK Kormoran destroyed each other off the coast of Western Australia in the Indian Ocean.
• 1969 – Playing for Santos against Vasco da Gama at Estádio do Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian football player Pelé scored his 1000th goal on a penalty kick.
• 1999 – Shenzhou 1 (model pictured), China's first unmanned test flight of the Shenzhou spacecraft, was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Alxa League, Inner Mongolia.

• More events: November 18 – November 19 – November 20

  Archive – By email – More anniversaries...
  It is now 22:56, November 19, 2008 (UTC) – Refresh this page