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The Choiseul pigeon (Microgoura meeki) is an extinct species that was endemic to the island of Choiseul in the Solomon Islands. Its closest living relative is believed to be the thick-billed ground pigeon, and some authors have suggested that the Choiseul pigeon may be a link between that species and the crowned pigeons. The adult pigeon was largely blue-grey, with an orange belly and a distinctive slate-blue crest. The bird's head sported a blue frontal shield surrounded by black feathers and a bicoloured beak. It was described as having a beautiful rising and falling whistling call. It is believed to have been a terrestrial species that laid a single egg in an unlined depression in the ground. It roosted in pairs or small groups of three or four in small shrubs and was reportedly very tame, allowing hunters to pick it up off its roost. The indigenous peoples reported that the species was driven to extinction by feral cats, as the pigeon had never previously confronted a carnivorous mammal on Choiseul. The last unconfirmed report of a Choiseul pigeon was in the early 1940s. (Full article...)

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In the news

Martin Winterkorn

A stampede during the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 1,100 people and injures more than 900 others.
Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn (pictured) resigns after company officials admit widespread rigging of diesel emissions test results.
A U.S. federal judge rules that the copyright to "Happy Birthday to You", claimed by Warner/Chappell Music, is invalid.
More than 100 people are killed in a series of bombings across Borno State, Nigeria.
Syriza wins a plurality in the Greek legislative election.
Japan's upper chamber of parliament approves legislation allowing use of Japanese military forces outside Japan for the first time since World War II.

Ongoing events:
- Southeast Asian haze
- European migrant crisis
Recent deaths:
- Yogi Berra

On this day...

September 29: Michaelmas

Avro Ansons, having landed after collision

1774 – The publication of The Sorrows of Young Werther raised the 24-year-old Johann Wolfgang von Goethe to international fame.
1940 – Two Avro Ansons of No. 2 Service Flying Training School RAAF collided in mid-air over Brocklesby, New South Wales, Australia, remained locked together after colliding, and landed safely (pictured).
1957 – An explosion at the Soviet nuclear reprocessing plant Mayak released 74 to 1850 PBq of radioactive material.
1962 – Alouette 1, Canada's first satellite, and the first satellite constructed by a country other than the Soviet Union or the United States, was launched.
2005 – John Roberts became the 17th Chief Justice of the United States.

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Today's featured picture

Dryadula phaetusa is a species of butterfly, the lone species in the genus Dryadula. It is native from Brazil to central Mexico, where it is generally found in lowland tropical fields and valleys. It feeds primarily on the nectar of flowers and bird droppings.

Photograph: Richard Bartz

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