Jamaica–Birdlife International 2003

Jamaica Post issued the stamp series of birdlife international one set of four single stamp and one souvenir sheet. The issuance of stamp set featured the species Jamaican Stripe-Headed Tanager, Crested Quail Dove, Jamaican Tody, Blue Mountain Vireo. All species were depicted are endemic in Jamaica.

Jamaican Stripe-Headed Tanager ($15)

Jamaican Stripe-Headed Tanager or Jamaican Spindalis is member  of the genus Spindalis. The scientific names is Spindalis nigricephala.It was the strikingly different plumages of the females, as well as vocalization differences, that led ornithologists to split Stripe-headed Tanager into Western Spindalis, the endemic Hispaniolan Spindalis (Spindalis dominicensis), the Puerto Rican Spindalis (Spindalis portoricensis) of Puerto Rico, and the Jamaican Spindalis (Spindalis nigricephala) from Jamaica. Stripe-headed Tanager was renamed in 2000, from the Forty-second Supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds.





Crested Quail Dove ($40)

The Crested Quail-dove (Geotrygon versicolor) is a species of bird in the Columbidae family. It is endemic to Jamaica.It is locally fairly common, it is perhaps most numerous in the Blue Mountains and Cockpit Country. It also occurs in the John Crow Mountains and Mt. Diablo area.

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.Found singly or in pairs on the floor of wet limestone and montane forests at elevations of 100-2,200 m, preferring areas with a relatively undisturbed understory. The breeding season lasts from March until June.

It suffers from habitat loss and degradation. Habitat loss has been largely caused by the establishment of plantations (mostly coffee and Caribbean pine Pinus caribaea), small-scale farming and clearance for development. It is also trapped for local consumption and the cage-bird trade. 

Jamaican Tody ($45)

Found only in Jamaica, the Jamaican Tody (Todus todus) is a small and colourful bird, predominantly green above, with a red throat and yellow underparts, with some pink on the sides. It has a large head and a long, flat bill. It perches on small branches, with its bills unturned and, like its Cuban relative (the Cuban Tody), takes insects, larvae, and fruit. The Jamaican Tody nests in burrows, which it excavates in muddy banks or rotten wood.The species is suspected to be in decline owing to predation by mongooses, habitat destruction and hunting by rural children.The species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Blue Mountain Vireo ($60)

The Blue Mountain Vireo (Vireo osburni) is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family. It is endemic to Jamaica. It occurs widely in upland forest, such as in the Blue and John Crow Mountains, Cockpit Country and Mt. Diablo.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, plantations, and heavily degraded former forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.This species is classified as Near Threatened because forest within its small range is being lost through clearance for agriculture.