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The Golden White-eye is a species of bird in the white-eye family Zosteropidae. It is the only species within the genus Cleptornis. The Golden White-eye was once considered to be a honeyeater in the family Meliphagidae and although it is now known to be a white-eye, its position within that family is still uncertain. The species is restricted to the islands of Saipan and Aguijan in the Northern Mariana Islands, where it is sympatric (shares its range) and competes with the related Bridled White-eye. The Golden White-eye has golden plumage and a pale eye-ring. It feeds on insects, fruit, and nectar and forages in pairs or small family groups. The bird is monogamous and lays two eggs in a small cup nest. Fossil evidence shows the Golden White-eye once also occurred on Tinian and Rota but was extirpated in those locations through the impact of human activities. Despite its current abundance on Saipan and Aguijan, and the fact that it has among the highest recorded densities for any bird, it is nevertheless considered to be critically endangered. It is threatened by the invasive Brown Tree Snake, which has recently become established on Saipan; efforts are under way to control the snakes and breed the white-eye in zoos. (Full article...) Recently featured: Jesse L. Brown – National Football League Players Association – Theobald of Bec Archive – By email – More featured articles...
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Typhoon Bopha (satellite image pictured), known as "Pablo" in the Philippines, makes landfall on the island of Mindanao. Borut Pahor is elected President of Slovenia. The Kuwaiti parliamentary election is held amidst boycotts by opposition parties. Ramush Haradinaj, formerly Prime Minister of Kosovo and commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, is acquitted of war crimes. The UN General Assembly approves a motion granting Palestine non-member observer state status. In Formula One, Sebastian Vettel wins the Drivers' Championship for the third consecutive year. Recent deaths: I. K. Gujral Syrian civil war – Wikinews – More current events...
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December 5: The King's birthday, National Day and Father's Day in Thailand (1927) 1484 – Pope Innocent VIII issued the papal bull Summis desiderantes affectibus, giving Dominican Inquisitor Heinrich Kramer explicit authority to prosecute witchcraft in Germany. 1775 – American Revolutionary War: Continental Army Colonel Henry Knox arrived at Fort Ticonderoga in New York to arrange the transport of 60 tons of artillery (pictured) that would be used to strengthen the Siege of Boston. 1936 – The 1936 Soviet Constitution, also known as the "Stalin" constitution, was adopted. 1972 – Gough Whitlam took office as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia and formed a duumvirate with his deputy Lance Barnard, ending 23 years of Liberal-Country Party government. 2005 – The Civil Partnership Act came into force, granting civil partnerships in the United Kingdom with rights and responsibilities identical to civil marriage. More anniversaries: December 4 – December 5 – December 6 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now December 5, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A smoked Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus). The smoking of fish was originally performed as a method of food preservation that would keep fish edible for more than a year. Recently, the availability of refrigeration and freezing has changed the primary purpose of smoking to enhancing the flavour of the fish.

Photo: Luc Viatour

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