Red Cardinal Fody

 

Mayotte Post issued  a stamp feature bird species, Red Cardinal Fody on January 12, 2009. It is a common bird found in forest clearings, grasslands and cultivated areas.

The Red Cardinal  Fody , sometimes known as Foudia madagascariensis , is a small bird native to Madagascar. It has been introduced to other areas of the Indian Ocean, included the Amirantes, Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius and Réunion.The population tend to stable and  species is evaluated as Least Concern. 

 

The Red Fody is about 5 inches in length and weighs 14–19 grams. The male of the species is bright red with black markings around each eye. Its wings and tail are olive-brown. The female fody's upper body is olive-brown and its underbody is greyish-brown.

Birds of Mayotte

 

Mayotte Post  issued a set of four stamps features birds species on September 21, 2012. The issues are depicting birds of Mayotte , i.e: Souimanga, Drongo, Faudy,  and Oiseau-lunette.

Souimanga

The Souimanga Sunbird (Cinnyris sovimanga) is a small passerine bird of the sunbird family, Nectariniidae. 

 

The Souimanga Sunbird is 10 cm long with a wingspan of 13 cm.The black bill is long, thin and curved. It is native to the islands of the western Indian Ocean where it occurs on Madagascar, the Aldabra Group and the Glorioso Islands.

Males of the nominate subspecies have a metallic green head, back and throat. The breast is blackish with a more or less continuous red band while the belly is yellow and the wings and tail are brown. There are yellow tufts at the sides of the breast which become visible when the birds lift their wings in courtship display

Fiji's "Teri" Purple Swamp

Fiji Post Limited issued a special souvenir sheet stamp consist of two stamps that features the endemic bird of Fiji, Fiji's "Teri" Purple Swamp, or the Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) on July 20, 2006.

The Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio), is a large bird in the family Rallidae (rails).  This chicken-sized bird, with its huge feet, bright plumage and red bill and frontal shield is easily-recognizable in its native range.

This species is sedentary, nomadic or partially migratory, with many populations making local seasonal movements in response to changing habitat conditions .

The species is mainly crepuscular and forages in the early-morning and late-evening.It breeds in solitary territorial pairs (especially in pastures)  or in small communal groups containing several breeding males, breeding females and non-breeding helpers (especially in swamps) .

Latvian National Bird

To dedicate the Latvian  Bird, Latvia Post  pleased to issue one stamp feature the White Wagtail or Motacilla alba as their National  Bird on August   30, .2003.

Motacilla alba

 

The White Wagtail is the national bird of Latvia. This is a slender bird, 16.5–19 cm in length  with the characteristic long, constantly wagging tail of its genus. The  basic  appearance  is   grey above and white below, with a white face, black cap and black throat.

The White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) is a small passerine bird in the wagtail family Motacillidae which breeds in much of Europe and Asia and parts of north Africa. The major diet of White Wagtails are terrestrial and aquatic insects and other small invertebrates.

Motacilla alba is an insectivorous bird of open country, often near habitation and water. It prefers bare areas for feeding, where it can see and pursue its prey. In urban areas it has adapted to foraging on paved areas such as car parks. It nests in crevices in stone walls and similar natural and man-made structures.

Barred-winged Rail

Fiji Post dedicated to the extinct bird species  by issuing a set of two stamps series which represented in one beautiful miniature sheet on  December 3,  2007. The species featured on stamps is the Barred-winged Rail (Nesoclopeus poecilopterus).

 

The Barred-winged Rail (Nesoclopeus poecilopterus) was a species of bird in the Rallidae family. It was endemic to Fiji. It has not been recorded since 1973 and is now Extinct.

Nesoclopeus poecilopterus was a flightless island ground-nesting forest/freshwater swamp dweller and is believed to have disappeared after the introduction of the mongoose and cats to the islands.

Birds of Latvia - 2011

Latvia Post has issued a set of two stamps series feature Latvian Birds, following the previous  series “Birds of Latvia  2010” on September 23, 2011. The issued stamps depict Icterine Warbler and Snake Eagle, design by  artist Ģirts Grīva .

Hippolais icterina

The Icterine Warbler (Hippolais icterina) is a small songbird, found in the territory of Latvia from early spring to fall. The bird is most frequently found in bushes of woodland, as well as in parks and gardens; it loves being near water. The Icterine Warbler is insectivorous, but also takes other food items, such as berries. The Icterine Warbler's song sounds like a fast murmur.

The Icterine Warbler (Hippolais icterina) is an Old World warbler in the tree warbler genus Hippolais. The term icterine refers to its yellowish colouration. It breeds in mainland Europe except the southwest.It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa.

The stamps are accompanied by a release of two first-day envelopes and special cancellations. The envelopes show the Icterine Warbler and the Snake Eagle in their typical environment, while the cancellation depicts each bird graphically.

Birds of Latvia - 2010

In regularly, Latvia Post commenced the Birds of Latvia series in 2010 by issuing the stamps European Roller and Eagle-owl on June 18,  2010.

European Roller

The European Roller is a stocky bird, the size of a Jackdaw at 29–32 cm in length with a 52–58 cm wingspan; it is mainly blue with an orange-brown back.

The European Roller often perch prominently on trees, posts or overhead wires, like giant shrikes, whilst watching for the large insects, small reptiles, rodents and frogs that they eat.

The European Roller (Coracias garrulus) is the only member of the roller family of birds to breed in Europe. Its overall range extends into the Middle East and Central Asia and Morocco.

The European Roller is striking in its strong direct flight, with the brilliant blue contrasting with black flight feathers. Sexes are similar, but the juvenile is a drabber version of the adult. It nests in an unlined tree or cliff hole, and lays up to six eggs.

The European Roller has a large global population, including an estimated 100,000-220,000 individuals in Europe. In Latvia and Lithuania populations have decreased from several thousand of pairs in the 1970s to under 30 pairs in 2004.

Birds in Winter

The Isle of Man Post is pleased to present a set of six stamps feature the birds found in their islands during winter season on the 28th September 2011. The featured birds are depicts by artist Jeremy Paul, the Isle of Man artist. The issue stamps also encompassed the 2011 Europa theme forest (68p stamp) and the SEPAC theme of Scenery (58p stamp).

Robin

The Robin is a plump bird with bright orange-red breast, face, throat and cheeks edged with grey, a white belly and olive-brown upper parts. The sexes are very similar.They have a brown bill and legs.This bird is almost synonymous with winter appearing on countless Christmas cards.

The Robin's diet is principally insects and worms, which it will normally catch by swooping, that is to say, snatching its prey on the ground after watching for movement from a perch above. They will also often follow a gardener that is digging the soil over for any easy pickings

In the winter, resident birds are joined by immigrants from continental Europe, mostly from Scandinavia. The immigrants are also generally less tame because they skulk in woodlands, only British Robins are a tame garden bird.

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.

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.

Pigeon bird (Dove) – Botswana

In relation with the celebration of Christmas season,  Botswana Post issued stamp set feature Dove bird on December 20, 2005. The species depicted are Namaqua dove, Red-eyed dove, Laughing dove, and Green Pigeon. The issue consist of 4 postage stamp with non uniform face value.

The Namaqua Dove is a tiny sparrow-sized pigeon, typically 22 cm in length with a 28–33 cm wingspan, and weighing 40g. It has a very long black tapered tail.The plumage is mostly grey apart from a white belly, and chestnut primary feathers which are visible in flight.The adult male has a black face, throat and breast, and a yellow and red beak. The adult female lacks the black and has a red-based grey bill.

The Namaqua Dove (Oena capensis) is a small pigeon. It is the only species in the genus Oena.The dove is a widespread resident breeding bird in Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar with its range extending into the Arabian Peninsula southern Israel, Jordan and as far north as Turkey.The dove is quite terrestrial, and usually forages on open ground and roadsides. The food is almost exclusively minute seeds, such as those of grasses, sedges and weeds.

Eagle Birds of Namibia

Namibia Post issued the stamp series feature eagle species which almost found in surrounding the  Sahara Dessert of Africa on February 02, 2009. The depicted species on stamps are Martial Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Bateleur, and Verreaux's Eagle .

Martial Eagle or Polemaetus bellicosus

The Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus), is a very large eagle ,member of the genus Polemaetus, found in open and semi-open habitats of sub-Saharan Africa.This is the largest eagle in Africa, with a length of 76–96 cm , weight of 3–6.2 kg  and a wingspan of 190–260 cm .These birds are more abundant in protected areas such as Kruger National Park and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa, or Etosha National Park in Namibia.

The Martial Eagle suffers from persecution through shooting and poisoning, but also from indirect threats, such as collision with power-lines.Its conservation status was up listed to Near Threatened in 2009.

The Many-coloured Fruit-Dove

 

 

The Many-coloured Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus perousii), also known in Samoa as Manulua, is a small multi-coloured dove growing up to 250mm in length , as a species of bird in the Columbidae family.

The male dove is a pale yellow-white colour with a red-crimson crown and bar across its back. The female is mostly green and grey on the head and breast with a red-crimson crown and undertail-covert area  as red. These red-crimson coverts differentiate these doves from those of Fiji and Tonga where the coverts are yellow.

Niue Birds -2011

 

Niue is one of the world's largest coral islands. The terrain consists of steep limestone cliffs along the coast with a central plateau rising to about 60 metres above sea level. A coral reef surrounds the island, with the only major break in the reef being in the central western coast, close to the capital, Alofi. A notable feature is the number of limestone caves found close to the coast.  A quarter of Niue consist of  virgin rainforest, it is little surprise that there is an equally stunning array of exotic birdlife complementing this island paradise.

 

While many fascinating birds call Niue home, this bird-themed stamp issued by Niue Post  features three of Niue's favourite species on July 06,2011.The individual stamps in this issue are depict bird species, Miti, Heahea, and Kulukulu.

Australian Kingfishers

 

On October 26, 2010, Australia  Post released the stamp series depicts Australian Kingfishers, illustrated by wildlife artist Christopher Pope.This issue comprises of 4 postage stamps depicts Sacred Kingfishers, Blue-winged kookaburra, Yellow-billed Kingfishers, and Red-backed Kingfishers.

Kingfishers comprise a distinctive and spectacular group. There are 95 species worldwide, 10 occurring in Australia. Two species are endemic – the Red-backed Kingfisher and the Laughing Kookaburra – and eight are shared with other countries.

Kingfishers, which include kookaburras, belong to the bird order Coraciiformes, Its vary in size. The smallest species is around 10cm in length, the largest – the Laughing Kookaburra – is around 45cm. 

 
Sacred Kingfisher

In Australia, The Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus) is primarily a woodland kingfisher that occurs   in eucalypt forests, melaleuca forests, woodland and paperbark forests.It is 19–23 cm  long, and feeds on insects, small crustaceans, fish, small rodents and reptiles but reports of it eating small finches are rare. Sacred Kingfishers lay about five eggs.

Birds of the Bailiwicks

 

On May 24, 2011,  Alderney Post issued the stamp series depicts birds of the Bailiwicks. This issue represented in many formats, a beautiful miniature sheet and single stamps. All issues depicts the bird species such as: Mediterranean Gull, Common Shelduck , Common Firecrest , Balearic Shearwater, Eurasian Woodcock   and   Little Grebe.

 

36p -Mediterranean Gull ( Ichthyaetus melanocephalus )

The Mediterranean Gull, Ichthyaetus melanocephalus, is a small gull which breeds almost entirely in Europe, mainly in the south east, especially around the Black Sea, and in central Turkey.

The flightless birds of New Zealand

 
As a supporter of Children’s Health Camps since 1929, New Zealand Post is proud to lend a hand once again with the 2011 Children’s Health stamp issue.
Te Puna Whaiora - the New Zealand Foundation for Child and Family Health and Development - specialises in helping at-risk children aged five to 12 to overcome barriers to healthy lifestyles. The 10-cent surcharge on each stamp in this issue goes directly to Te Puna Whaiora's seven Children’s Health Camps throughout New Zealand, each playing a crucial role in helping children and their families in times of need.
 
 

The flightless birds featured on the stamps are also in need of love and support. The kiwi, kākāpō and takahē were all once more abundant and widely distributed throughout New Zealand than they are today. It’s only through the ongoing help of conservation programmes that we are now able to enjoy these unique and precious birds.

“WHITE - TAILED SEA EAGLE”

On October 08, 2011, Lithuania Post issued a single stamp features the White-tailed Sea Eagle as member of the Red Book of Lithuanian. The stamp has designed by I.Balakauskaitė.

The White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), also known as the Sea Eagle, is the largest bird of prey breeding in Lithuania, the first nest of which was discovered in 1987 in the Čepkeliai Reserve.

The preferred habitats of white-tailed  eagles are the forests located close to sea bays, large rivers or lakes, or fish farms. These birds build their nests in the trees growing close to open localities such as marshes in bare soils, woodcutting places, or sites in forests. White-tailed eagles feed on fish, seabirds, and mammals.

At present, the white-tailed eagle is included in The Red List of Threatened Species and The Red List of Lithuania. The main reason for the decrease in the population of species is active economic activities in forests. Also, they supplement the trophy collections of poachers, die as a result of careless perching on utility poles or affected by chemical pollutants ingested through prey.

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Herons of The Reef

On February  9, 2007, Vanuatu Post released the fauna stamp, features Herons of the reef. It was interestingly seen in two different colour phases in Vanuatu – the white form has pure white plumage and yellow/brown/olive face, bill and legs. The dark form is slate-grey to brownish-black with a thin white stripe on the throat. The white form is the more rare version of the two types.

The stamp issued are one miniature sheet consist of 5 single stamps depicts their lives and the First Day Cover depicts their habitat in the background picture.

They inhabit rocky coasts and reefs but are also found around sea cliffs, mangroves and mud flats. They are found alone or in pairs and are strongly territorial in defending their foraging areas. Stalking gracefully through the shallows, they feed mainly at the intertidal zone (sometimes at night) and take small crabs, crustaceans, and small fish as well as frogs, lizards and insects. Canopy feeding, (where a heron’s wings form a parasol to provide shade and assist fishing) is common in herons but not in this species.

The nesting season is usually February to July and the adults nest in coastal trees as well as in bushes on the rocky shore and on the ground. The nest is made of sticks and twigs and often becomes bulky over a number of years. two or three pale blue eggs are laid and the chicks are sparsely covered with down. Fledging takes around 5-6 weeks.

The heron grows in length to around 50cm and is widespread throughout the Pacific but is found mainly on the western seaboard from Japan to Burma, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand.

Rock Pigeon

The Foroyar Post has issued the stamp series depicted the rock pigeon or Columba livia in two single stamp with different face value on September 2009.

The rock pigeon (Columba livia) is a member of the Columbidae family which comprises about 300 species that live everywhere in the world apart from the Arctic and Antarctic.

The rock pigeon was one of the first birds domesticated by man and, from them, birds of all colourings and physical varieties have been bred over the years.The carrier pigeon in particular is most familiar, and the rock pigeon is the progenitor of these pigeons, and many birds among the multi-coloured city flocks more or less resemble the feral rock pigeons.

In many places, domesticated pigeons interbreed with the feral variety and thereby constitute a major threat to the original populations of rock pigeons, which have disappeared from many countries for this reason. One of the world’s least interbred populations of rock pigeons lives in the Faroes.