Black swift – Belarus’s Bird of the Year 2012

On March 22, 2012 the Ministry of Communications and Information of the Republic of Belarus issued the stamp set features Black swift from the regularly series “Bird of the year”. This issued stamp  has marked logo of Birdlife International.

The Black Swift or The Common Swift (Apus apus) is a medium-sized bird, larger than   Barn Swallow or House Martin but this species completely unrelated to those passerine species. The Black Swift nearest relatives are thought to be the New World hummingbirds and the Southeast Asian treeswifts.

Black Swifts are 16–17 cm long with a wingspan of 38–40 cm and entirely blackish-brown except for a small white or pale grey patch on their chins which is not visible from a distance. They have a short forked tail and very long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang.These birds have very short legs which they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces . They never settle voluntarily on the ground, where they would be vulnerable to accidents and predation. Black swifts are migratory.

Birdlife of Solomon Islands 2005 (Part 3)-Parrots (Continuation)

 

To continue  the previous edition in the title “Birds of Solomon Islands 2005 (Part 3)- Parrots”, detail of the depicted parrot species such as: Finsch’s pygmy parrot (Micropsitta finschii), Cardinal Lory (Chalcopsitta cardinalis), Solomons Cockatoo (Cacatua ducorpsii),  Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus), Rainbow Lorikeet, (Trichoglossus haematodus), Song Parrot (Geoffroyus heteroclitus) have described in the following paragraphs.

 

Finsch’s Pygmy Parrot (Micropsitta finschii)

Finsch’s pygmy parrot (Micropsitta finschii), also known as the green or emerald pygmy parrot, is characterized by a green head and neck (which is unique among species of the genus Micropsitta). The typical length of a green pygmy parrot is 9.5 cm with an average weight of 12 g . Male and female individuals can be identified by slight differences in coloration

Finsch’s pygmy parrots are found in tropical rainforests up to an elevation of 900 m.The geographic range of this species includes Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and the Bismarck Archipelago.

Birds of Solomon Islands 2005 (Part II)–Pigeon (Continuation)

To continue the previous edition in the title “ Birds of Solomon Islands 2005 (Part 2)- Pigeon” , detail of each stamps  which  depicted the endemic pigeon species such as :  Red-knobbed Imperial Pigeon (Ducula rubricera),  Yellow-bibbed Fruit Dove    (Ptilinopus solomonensis) ,  Claret-breasted Fruit Dove    (Ptilinopus viridis),  Nicobar Pigeon    (Caloenas nicobarica),  Stephan's Emerald Dove    (Chalcophaps stephani) and  Crested Cuckoo-Dove   (Reinwardtoena crassirostris) described as follow :

 

Red-knobbed Imperial Pigeon  (Ducula rubricera)

Ducula rubricera is widely distributed in Papua New Guinea and on nearly all forested islands in the Solomon Islands. Although it is still common where extensive forest remains, it is much rarer in degraded habitats.

It is a large robust pigeon ( 40 cm) with pale upper back, head, neck, throat and breast. Distinctive large reddish (occasionally yellowish) cere above bill. Wing-coverts iridescent emerald, bronzy or golden green with darker secondary and tail feathers tainted bluish.Primaries blackish-blue and  the color of under-wing is dull grey. The Legs are purplish-red.Juvenile resembles adult but lacking red cere.

Breeding birds of Christmas Island

In referring to   the previous title “ Breeding Birds of Christmas Island- Kiribati 2005”, the subsequent paragraphs have described the breeding bird species as shown on the issued stamp.

Lesser Frigatebird – Fregata ariel

The Lesser Frigatebird (Fregata ariel) is common in tropical seas breeding on remote islands, including Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean in recent years. The male is mostly all black save for a white patch on the flank which extends on to the underwing as a spur. Males also have a pale bar on the upper wing. Females have a black head and neck with a white collar and breast as well as a spur extending on to the underwing. The female also has a narrow red ring around the eye.

Red-tailed Tropicbird /Phaethon rubricauda

The Red-tailed Tropicbird or Phaethon rubricauda looks like a stout tern, and hence closely resembles the other two tropicbird species. It has generally white plumage, often with a pink tinge, a black crescent around the eye and a thin red tail feather. It has a bright red bill and black feet.The Red-tailed Tropicbird is a seabird that nests across the Indian and Pacific Oceans

Sea birds of Kiribati

In refer to the previous title : Sea birds of Kiribati-Kiribati 2005, detail of each issued stamp in related with the above title  has described  in the subsequent paragraphs.The first miniature sheet of the issued  stamps by Kiribati Post which collaborated with Birdlife International on  August 15, 2005 featured  sea birds of Kiribati such as: White-tailed tropicbird (Phaeton lepturus), Black Noddy ( Anous minutus), Red-footed Booby (Sula sula), Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus pacificus), White Tern (Gygis alba), and Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor)

White-tailed Tropicbird ( Phaethon lepturus)

The White-tailed Tropicbird breeds on tropical islands laying a single egg directly onto the ground or a cliff ledge. White-tailed Tropicbird disperses widely across the oceans when not breeding, and sometimes wanders far. White-tailed Tropicbird feeds on fish and squid, caught by surface plunging, but this species is a poor swimmer.Sexes are similar, although males average longer tailed, but juveniles lack the tail streamers, have a green-yellow bill, and a finely barred back.

Black Noddy (Anous minutus)

The Black Noddy has a worldwide distribution in tropical and subtropical seas, with colonies widespread in the Pacific Ocean and more scattered across the Caribbean, central Atlantic and in the northeast Indian Ocean.The Black Noddy (Anous minutus) is a seabird from the tern family.

Birdlife of British Indian Ocean Territory - 2006

In year 2006 , BIOT (British Indian Ocean Territory) Post collaborated with Birdlife International  Organization have released the stamp set features the protected seabirds Great frigatebird, Black-naped tern, Brown Noddy, Yellow-billed tropicbird, Red-footed Booby   and White Tern . The issue stamps are present in one miniature sheet which consist of six postage stamps depicted the foresaid species.The sheet have marked with many logos of bird association, OTEP, RSPB, Birdlife International.

Great Frigatebird or Fregata minor

The Great Frigatebird is a large dispersive seabird in the frigatebird family, have distinctive a measure  of 85–105 cm  with long pointed wings of 205–230 cm  and long forked tails. Major nesting populations are found in the Pacific (including Galapagos Islands) and Indian Oceans, as well as a population in the South Atlantic.

The Great Frigatebird is a lightly built large seabird with predominantly black plumage. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism. The female is larger than the adult male and has a white throat and breast, and the male's scapular feathers have a purple-green sheen. This species  have a long life span around 35 years, exhibit deferred maturity, lay only 1 egg, and have a very slow-growing chick.

Pomarine Skua (Stercorarius pomarinus)

In  year 2007, British Indian Ocean Territory Post issued the birdlife stamp composed of 6 (six) single postage stamps that features the Pomarine Skua (Stercorarius pomarinus). The issue stamps have logo of Birdlife International.

The Pomarine Skua is a large seabird, nearly as big as a herring gull. It has long spoon-shaped tail streamers.

There are two kind appearances: dark - birds are all dark brown with small white flashes on the wings and light - birds have a pale breast with a dark cap on their heads.



 

The Pomarine Skua or Stercorarius pomarinus, is a seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae. This species is a migrant seabird, wintering at sea in the tropical oceans.

The size ranges from 46 to 67 cm  in length, 110 to 138 cm  in wingspan and 540–920 g  in weight.