The Snow Crane of China.

China post released the stamps featured the Snow Crane (Grus leucogeranus) on year 1986 in one souvenir sheet depicted a flying group of the Snow crane and one set comprised of 3 pieces special gold painted stamps depicted body part of the bird.

The Snow Crane, also known as the Siberian White Crane is a bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes.This is a large white crane, typically 4.9-8.6 kg , 140 cm and 210–230 cm across the wings. Large males can exceed 152 cm and weigh over 10 kg . All white colour except for a dark red mask extending from the bill to behind the eye and black primary wing feathers. It has a yellow iris and reddish legs. The male is slightly larger than the female. Juveniles have a feathered mask and buff or cinnamon plumage. The voice is flute-like and musical.

The Snow Crane breeds in arctic Russia in Yakutia and western Siberia. They have migrated to long distance area and categorized as a long distance migrant bird. The eastern population winters on the Yangtze River and Lake Poyang in China.

The status of the Snow crane is critical, with only 20 in the wild at last count. The world population is estimated to be around 3,200.

Protected Wild life of China on stamps

China is a country with the greatest variety of wild animals in the world. The Wild life is a part of the harmony of the human life which will a value gift of Nature to humans. In order to keep the balance of ecology and save the endangered animal, in 1989 China Government issued the list of wild animal which have to be protected and establish nature reserves. To appeal this program China Post issue the special stamps as shown above “Key Wild Animal Under First-Grade State Protection (I)”

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.

Crested Ibis on China stamp

The specific bird, Crested Ibis featured on three single value stamps from China.

The Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon), also known as the Japanese Crested Ibis or Toki .The size of bird up to 78.5 cm long, white-plumaged ibis of pine forests. Its head is partially bare, showing red skin, and it has a dense crest of white plumes on the nape. This species is the only member of the genus Nipponia.

Their habitat is usually mainlands and wetlands. They make their nests at the tops of trees on hills usually overlooking their habitat. Crested Ibises usually eat frogs, small fishes, and small animals.

The Crested Ibis was widespread in Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan and Russia. It has now disappeared from most of its former range. The last wild Japanese Crested Ibis died in October 2003, while the remaining wild population can be found only in Shaanxi province of China.

Extensive captive breeding programs have been developed by Japan and China to conserve the species. They were put on the State Protection List in China, which also spread throughout most of Asia. Also, for the past 23 years, China has bred and protected the species. In 2002, there were a total of 130 colonies in China. Due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size, limited range, winter starvation and persecution in last century brought this endangered species to the brink of extinction.

Brown-ears pheasant from China

The vulnerable species, Brown-ears pheasant has featured on two different value stamps by China on 1989.Crossoptilon mantchuricum, or Brown Eared-pheasant is species of family Phasianidae and qualifies as Vulnerable because it may have a small population between 5,000 till 17,000 and population in protected areas appear are declining (potentially rapidly). Its range has been fragmented by habitat loss and isolated populations are at risk from further forest loss and other pressures. Outside nature reserves, the threats include deforestation for agriculture and urban development, and habitat degradation due to logging and livestock-grazing.

The body size is ranged of 96-100 cm and have distintictives as Brown-and-white pheasant with prominent white cheek tufts extending from bill base. Mainly darkish brown body plumage with white lower back, rump and uppertail-coverts, and longish, filamentous white tail with broad, dark tips. Bare red facial skin and legs. Female usually slightly smaller and lacks tarsus spurs. Voice Utters high-pitched, raucous calls.This species is endemic to northern China, where it is now confined to scattered localities in the Luliang Shan of western Shanxi, and the mountains of north-western Hebei, western Beijing and central Shaanxi

It breeds in coniferous forest or mixed conifer-broadleaf forest at up to 2,600 m. In winter, it moves to lower altitudes (minimum 1,100 m), to scrub at the forest edge on south-facing slopes.

China -Sweden joint issued on bird stamps

Sweden and China have joint issued the specific stamps featured Chrysolophus amherstiae and Phasianus colcuhics. The collaboration stamps issued these stamp on 1997, each in two stamps single value.

Chrysolophus amherstiae, or The Lady Amherst's Pheasant, is a bird of the order Galliformes and the family Phasianidae. The adult male is 100-120 cm in length, its tail accounting for 80 cm of the total length. It is unmistakable with its black and silver head, long grey tail and rump, and red, blue, white and yellow body plumage. The "cape" can be raised in display. The female is much less showy, with a duller mottled brown plumage all over.

These are native to south western China and Myanmar, but have been introduced elsewhere, and have established a self-supporting, but now declining, feral population in England.Widespread throughout its large range area with population estimated 20,000 till 49,999 birds,this species is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.They feed on the ground on grain, leaves and invertebrates, but roost in trees at night.

The name commemorates Sarah Countess Amherst, wife of William Pitt Amherst, Governor General of Bengal, who was responsible for sending the first specimen of the bird to London in 1828.


Phasianus colchicus or the Common Pheasant , is a bird in the pheasant family (Phasianidae).
There are many colour forms of the male Common Pheasant, ranging in colour from nearly white to almost black.,due to captive breeding and hybridization between subspecies and the Green Pheasant.

Body weight can range from 0.5 to 3 kg. The adult male length is 60–89 cm with a long brown streaked black tail, almost 50 cm of the total length. The body plumage is barred bright gold and brown plumage with green, purple and white markings. The head is bottle green with a small crest and distinctive red wattle. The female (hen) is much less showy, with a duller mottled brown plumage all over and measuring 50–63 cm long including a tail.

The males are polygynous as is typical for many Phasianidae, and are often accompanied by a harem of several females. Common Pheasants nest on the ground, producing a clutch of around ten eggs over a two-three week period in April to June.They feed solely on the ground but roost in sheltered trees at night. They eat a wide variety of animal invertebrates, small vertebrates and vegetable type-food, like fruit, seeds and leaves.

Common Pheasants are native to Asia, their original range extending from between the Black and Caspian Seas to Manchuria, Siberia, Korea, Mainland China and Taiwan. The birds are found in woodland, farmland, scrub and wetlands. In its natural habitat they lives in grassland near water with small copses of trees. It has been widely introduced elsewhere as a game bird.

Roses from China - New Zealand

This mini sheet consist of 2 value stamps that shown rose
from China and New Zealand.
These stamps issued by New Zealand collaborated with
China related the International Stamp Expo held in Shanghai 1977.