Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Flora Fauna of Burundi


Burundi Post released the stamp set features the flora fauna of their country on December 24, 2008. The species have depicted on the five postage stamps are Erythrina, Maracuja, Werner, Heron, and Royal Eagle.




The 90F stamp   represented a Erythrina flower. Erythrina  is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 130 species, which are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Erythrina is tree that can  growing up to 30 m  in height. Many species of Erythrina have bright red flowers, and this may be the origin of the common name.

Not all species of Erythrina have bright red flowers.Many birds visit the nectar-rich Erythrina flowers. Erythrina leaves are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the swift moth Endoclita damor and the woolly bears Hypercompe eridanus and Hypercompe icasia.





The stamp 150F represented a Maracuja flower . Maracuja or Passiflora edulis is a vine species of passion flower that is native to Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina (Corrientes and Misiones provinces, among others). Its common names include passion fruit (UK and US), passion fruit (Australia and New Zealand), and purple granadilla (South Africa).

The passion fruit is round to oval, either yellow or dark purple at maturity, with a soft to firm, juicy interior filled with numerous seeds. The fruit is both eaten and juiced; passion fruit juice is often added to other fruit juices to enhance the aroma.

The two types of passion fruit have clearly differing exterior appearances, the Bright Yellow variety of passion fruit (the Golden Passion Fruit) and the Purple Passion Fruit.The dark purple passion fruit is smaller than a lemon, though it is less acidic than the yellow passion fruit, and has a richer aroma and flavour.




The  500 F stamp  represented a flower of Werner.This flower resembles with Celosia cristata . Celosia cristata is a member of the genus Celosia, and is commonly known as cockscomb, since the flower looks like the head on a rooster (cock). Celosia cristatas are often grown  in  Western Africa, and South America.












The 810F stamp  is represented Heron.The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 64 recognized species.Although herons resemble birds in some other families, such as the storks, ibises, spoonbills and cranes, they differ from these in flying with their necks retracted, not outstretched.

The herons are medium to large sized birds with long legs and necks. They exhibit very little sexual dimorphism in size.The herons are a highly mobile family, with most species being at least partially migratory.The migration typically occurs at night, usually as individuals or in small groups.They exist on all continents except Antarctica, and are present in most habitats except the coldest extremes of the Arctic, extremely high mountains and the driest deserts.


The herons are essentially non-swimming water-birds that feed on the margins of lakes, rivers, swamps, ponds and the sea. They are predominately found in lowland areas, and the majority of species occur in the tropics.The herons are carnivorous and feed on a variety of live aquatic prey.




The 1000 F stamp represented  a bird species, Royal Eagle. Also known as The Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere, belongs to the family Accipitridae.

Royal Eagles are dark brown, with lighter golden-brown plumage on their heads and necks. It has a wingspan averaging over 2 m  and up to 1 m  in body length. They are extremely swift, and can dive upon their quarry at speeds of more than 150 miles  per hour. Royal Eagles are monogamous and may remain with their mate for several years or possibly for life. Despite being locally extinct or uncommon, the species is still fairly ubiquitous, being present in Eurasia, North America and parts of Africa.


Royal Eagle prey mostly upon medium-sized rodents, rabbits, and hares, but also on birds, especially game birds, reptiles, and carrion. Most prey is taken on the ground from a low flight, but they are fast enough to take birds in flight.

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