Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 May 16

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Today's featured article
A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacoidea (true parrots) and the Strigopoidea (large New Zealand parrots), they make up the parrot order Psittaciformes. Cockatoos are instantly recognisable by their showy crests and curved bills. Their plumage is generally less colourful than that of other parrots, being mainly white, grey, or black, and often with coloured features in the crest, cheeks, or tail. On average they are larger than other parrots. Cockatoos prefer to eat seeds, tubers, corms, fruit, flowers and insects. They often feed in large flocks, particularly when ground-feeding. Cockatoos are monogamous and nest in tree hollows. Some cockatoo species have been adversely affected by habitat loss, particularly from a shortage of suitable nesting hollows after large mature trees are cleared; conversely, some species have adapted well to human changes and are considered agricultural pests. Cockatoos are popular birds in aviculture, but their needs are difficult to cater for. The Cockatiel is the cockatoo species that is easiest to care for and is by far the most frequently kept in captivity. (more...) Recently featured: Sky Blue Sky – Fanny Imlay – Limbo Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that N44 (pictured), an emission nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud, has a superbubble structure due to radiation pressure from its powerful stars? ... that the First International Silent Games, in 1924, were the first ever international games for athletes with a disability? ... that soprano Ursula Schröder-Feinen appeared at the Bayreuth Festival as Senta, Brünnhilde, Ortrud and, with "intensity, ... freshness and spontaneity", as Kundry in Parsifal? ... that Soapy Castles and Tiny Lund were the only drivers ever to win the NASCAR Grand National East Series season championship? ... that female director Upi Avianto created Last Wolf, a film about gangsters, drugs, betrayal and revenge? ... that the Smithsonian Institution's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is ninety-six percent underground? ... that the extinct Crocodylus thorbjarnarsoni from the Pliocene and Pleistocene of Kenya was the largest true crocodile and may have eaten early human ancestors? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
At least 49 people are decapitated—allegedly by the Los Zetas drug cartel—and found on Mexican Federal Highway 40. In association football, the English Premier League season ends with Manchester City winning their first top-flight league championship since 1968. The National Liberation Front, led by Abdelaziz Bouteflika (pictured), gains a plurality in the Algerian legislative election. Saudi Arabia begins to send US$2.7 billion in aid to Egypt after a recent diplomatic crisis. A Sukhoi Superjet 100 crashes during a demonstration flight in Indonesia, killing all 45 people on board. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
May 16: Teacher's Day in Malaysia 1811 – Peninsular War: An allied force of British, Spanish, and Portuguese troops clashed with the French at the Battle of Albuera south of Badajoz, Spain. 1843 – The first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest set out on the Oregon Trail (reenactment pictured) with a thousand pioneers from Elm Grove, Missouri. 1918 – The Sedition Act was passed in the United States, forbidding Americans from using "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the United States government, flag, or armed forces during the ongoing World War I. 1943 – Royal Air Force Dambusters embarked on a raid to deploy bouncing bombs on German dams in Operation Chastise during the Second World War. 1961 – The Military Revolution Committee, led by Park Chung-hee, carried out a bloodless coup against the government of Yun Bo-seon, ending the Second Republic of South Korea. More anniversaries: May 15 – May 16 – May 17 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now May 16, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The western front of Mespelbrunn Castle, a moated castle in the town of Mespelbrunn, between Frankfurt and Würzburg, Germany. It dates to 1427, when the family who lived in that location began to build it as defense against brigands who lived in the nearby Spessart mountains. Only the round tower (center-right) remains from that time; the remainder was constructed in the mid-1500s.

Photo: Rainer Lippert

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