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Male in breeding plumage

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. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Help Mark

... that the Help Mark (pictured) is a Japanese accessibility symbol for people with invisible disabilities?
... that King Hugh I of Cyprus married his stepsister with a special permission from the pope?
... that penicillin was forgotten about for a decade after its initial discovery in 1929?
... that there have been attempts to make chess an Olympic sport since at least 1924?
... that Charles Bornou once served as a minister of finance and a mayor at the same time?
... that the demolition of 61 Molesworth Street in Wellington, New Zealand, revealed the possessions of illegal residents?
... that Sunaryanta ran 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) from his home to register for an election, and later ran 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) back home after losing re-election?
... that a 1941 jam session was notable for its racial integration?
... that Isaac A. Hopper was one of the One Hundred?

In the news

Sanae Takaichi

Sanae Takaichi (pictured) is elected as the first female prime minister of Japan by the National Diet.
Eric Lu wins the International Chopin Piano Competition.
Rodrigo Paz Pereira, a member of the Christian Democratic Party, is elected president of Bolivia.
Pieces of the French Crown Jewels are stolen during a robbery from the Galerie d'Apollon of the Louvre in Paris.

On this day

October 24

Dracula by Bram Stoker

1885 – The Russian ship Dmitry ran aground in Whitby, an incident that inspired the arrival of Count Dracula to England in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel (cover pictured).
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.
1930 – The Pacification Junta deposed Brazillian president Washington Luís, ending the 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.
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.

Marianne North (b. 1830)
Désiré Charnay (d. 1915)
Luciano Berio (b. 1925)
Richard Hofstadter (d. 1970)

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From today's featured list

A radio version of the British television sitcom Dad's Army was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 from 1974 to 1976. Produced by John Dyas and written by Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles, the scripts were adapted from the television episodes written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft. A total of 67 episodes across three series were broadcast from 28 January 1974 to 7 July 1976. The series starred the same actors who appeared in the television version, playing the same characters. Although most episodes of the television series were adapted for radio, several were not, as they were deemed too visual. All episodes from the ninth television series were not adapted, as the radio series had ended by the time those television episodes were broadcast. At the request of the producer, some episode titles were changed from their television equivalents in order to sound more concise. The radio series was recorded in London; early episodes were recorded at the Playhouse Theatre, while the remaining episodes were recorded at the Paris Studios. John Snagge served as the show’s announcer. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis is an oil painting by the Dutch painter Rembrandt, produced around 1661–62. It depicts an episode from Tacitus's Histories of the Batavian rebellion (AD 69–70), led by the one-eyed chieftain Claudius Civilis. The painting was commissioned by the city council of Amsterdam for the Town Hall, and was originally Rembrandt's largest-ever painting. It was placed briefly in the town hall but eventually returned to Rembrandt, who may never have been paid for the work. In financial difficulties, he was forced to cut the painting down in size and partly repaint it, after which it was sold. After passing between various private owners, it was eventually deposited in the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts, and is now in the collection of the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm.

Painting credit: Rembrandt

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