Birdlife Stamps of St. Lucia - 2004

To continue  the previous issue of the title " Birds of St. Lucia 2004 ", explanation of 8 stamps are issued for celebration  the Unique Caribbean treasures in the following  paragraphs. The issuance comprised of 8 stamps and all stamps featured the protected bird of St.Lucia, Antillean Crested Hummingbird, Lesser Antillean Pewee , Purple-throated Carib , Grey Trembler,Rufous-throated Solitaire,St. Lucia Warbler,  Antillean Euphonia, Semper's Warbler.

1$    Antillean Crested Hummingbird    Orthorhyncus cristatus

The Antillean Crested Hummingbird (Orthorhyncus cristatus) is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest.

It is found in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, north-east Puerto Rico, Saba, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Eustatius, the British Virgin Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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1$    Lesser Antillean Pewee    Contopus latirostris

The Lesser Antillean Pewee (Contopus latirostris) is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family. It is found in Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Puerto Rico, and Saint Lucia with records from Saint Kitts. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.

New Caledonia 2006–Birdlife Stamps

New Caledonia Post issued the stamp series of birdlife consist of three stamps on year 2006. The stamp set featured Charmosyna diadema,  Aegotheles savesi, Gallirallus lafresnayanus.

Charmosyna diadema

The New Caledonian Lorikeet is 18-19 cm long (the size of a large hand), 7-8 cm of which is the slim and pointed tail.Female birds are green overall, with deep violet blue crown and dark bluish thighs, a yellowish face and underside face, and a red anal region. The tail is green above and yellowish olive below, with the four lateral feathers with red basal markings followed by a black band, tipped yellow on the underside. The beak is orange-red, the iris probably dark orange like the feet.

This bird is hard to track because it is nomadic and is relatively inconspicuous. It is listed as Critically Endangered (D1) by BirdLife International, which means that the effective population size is likely to be less than fifty individuals.

 

Aegotheles savesi

The Enigmatic Owlet-nightjar or Aegotheles savesi, also known as the New Caledonian Owlet-nightjar, is a large owlet-nightjar (a kind of bird related to swifts and goatsuckers) with vermiculated grey-brown and black plumage.

It has a long, slightly rounded tail, short, rounded wings, and long, stout legs.The description of species are 28cm long and large with  dark owlet-nightjar. Plumage rather uniformly vermiculated grey-brown and black. Structurally distinct with short rounded wings, long, slightly rounded tail and relatively long, stout legs

This bird is endemic to New Caledonia’s Melaleuca savanna and humid forests. Other members of its genus are highly territorial and nest in holes in trees. These birds also forage by sitting on a branch and attacking small animals.

Celebrating unique Caribbean Treasures–Birdlife of British Virgin Islands

British Virgin Islands Post issued the birdlife stamp series to celebrate unique Caribbean Treasures on year 2004. The stamp set comprised of 10 (ten) single stamps feature the Warbler birds of Caribbean.

5c  Black-and-white Warbler   ( Mniotilta varia )

The Black-and-white Warbler is perhaps the easiest warbler to identify with its distinctive nuthatch-like feeding strategy and contrasting black and white plumage.This species is 13 cm long and weighs 11 g. The summer male Black-and-white Warbler is boldly streaked in black and white, and the bird has been described as a flying humbug. There are two white wing bars. Female and juvenile plumages are similar, but duller and less streaked.

The breeding habitat is broadleaved or mixed woodland, preferably in wetter areas. Black-and-white Warblers nest on the ground, laying 4-5 eggs in a cup nest.This species is migratory, wintering in Florida, Central America and the West Indies down to Peru. This species is a very rare vagrant to western Europe, mainly to Ireland and Great Britain.

These birds feed on insects and spiders, and unlike other warblers, Black-and-white Warblers forage like a nuthatch, moving up and down tree trunks and along branches. The song is a high see wee-see wee-see wee-see wee-see wee-see, and the call is a hard tick.

 

10c  Prairie Warbler   ( Dendroica discolor )

These birds have yellow underparts with dark streaks on the flanks, and olive upperparts with rusty streaks on the back; they have a yellow line above the eye, a dark line through it, and a yellow spot below it. These birds have black legs, long tails, pale wing bars, and thin pointed bills. Coloring is duller in female and immatures.

Their breeding habitats are brushy areas and forest edges in eastern North America. The Prairie Warbler's nests are open cups, which are usually placed in a low area of a tree or shrub.

These birds are permanent residents in the southern parts of their range. Other birds migrate to northeastern Mexico and islands in the Caribbean.Prairie Warblers forage actively on tree branches, and sometimes fly around with the purpose of catching insects, which are the main food source of these birds.

These birds wag their tail feathers frequently. The numbers of these birds are declining due to habitat loss; this species also suffers from nest parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird.