Birds of Slovenia - 2011

Slovenia Post proudly issue the stamp set features the birds of their country.on 23 September 2011 The issue consist of three postage stamps depicted White-backed woodpecker, Eurasian curlew,  Ortolan bunting and one souvenir sheet consist of one postage stamp depicted White Stork (Ciconia ciconia).

White-backed woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos)

The White-backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos) is a Eurasian woodpecker belonging to the genus Dendrocopos which lives primarily in deciduous forests with a high percentage of old trees and rotting trunks and stumps.The male has a red crown, the female a black one.It is the largest of the spotted woodpeckers in the western Palearctic, 24–26 cm long with wing-span 38–40 cm and has plumage with white bars across the wings rather than spots, and a white lower back.

In the breeding season, to hatch their eggs and raise their young, they excavate nest holes with oval entrances, usually in the trunks of dead beech trees. They most often feed on insects.

The White Stork -Estonian Bird 2004

The White Stork (Ciconia ciconia ) has been breeding in Estonia for more than a hundred years.It is found throughout mainland Estonia and is particularly frequent in the southeast and south parts of the country.The white stork breeds also in Central and Eastern Europe, the Near East and North Africa, but in Western Europe.

White storks breed in open farmland areas with access to marshy wetlands, building a stick nest in trees, on buildings, or special platforms.

Because it is viewed as bird of good luck, it is not persecuted, and often nests close to human habitation.It walks slowly and steadily on the ground. It often forms small colonies. It feeds on fish, frogs and insects but also eats small reptiles, rodents and smaller birds.

Its population has declined from year to year. Being a big and strong bird, it has few enemies, and it is only seldom that an eagle may attack its nest. The stork usually has 2 to 3 young it the family.

For the winter Estonian storks travel to South Africa, avoiding the open sea on their migration and return to their breeding places in April. The white stork is a protected species.The White Stork is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

Stork on China stamps 1992

Both The White Stork and the Black Stork, are listed on the Conservation of African Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds. China featured the both Storks on the 1992 stamp edition with different value.

The White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is a huge bird, 100–125 cm tall, with a 155–200 cm wingspan and a weight of 2.3-4.5 kg .It is completely white except for the black wing flight feathers, and its red bill and legs, which are black on juveniles. It walks slowly and steadily on the ground. It often forms small colonies. It feeds on fish, frogs and insects but also eats small reptiles, rodents and smaller birds.
White storks breed in open farmland areas with access to marshy wetlands, building a stick nest in trees, on buildings, or special platforms. Because it is viewed as bird of good luck, it is not persecuted, and often nests close to human habitation.
White Storks rely on movement between thermals of hot air for long distance flight, taking great advantage of them during annual migrations between Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. They breed in the warmer parts of Europe (south to Estonia), northwest Africa, and southwest Asia (east to southern Kazakhstan.

The Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. This is a large bird, nearly 1 m tall with a 1.8 m wingspan, weighing around 3 kilograms. It is all black except for the white belly and axillaries, and its red bill and legs. It walks slowly and steadily on the ground. It flies with its neck outstretched. This is a shy and varies species.
It breeds in large marshy wetlands with interspersed coniferous or broad lived woodlands, but also inhabits hills and mountains with sufficient network of creeks. The Black Stork feeds on amphibians, fishes and insects. It builds a stick nest high in trees. The Black Stork is a broad-winged soaring bird, which relies on thermals of hot air for long distance flight. The Black Stork is a strong migrant, wintering in tropical Africa and India .They fly approximately 100 to 250 km a day with daily maxima up to 500 km.