Birdlife International–St. Helena 2007

On year 2007, Saint Helena Post has issued the birdlife stamp series that featured the species Black Noddy, Sooty Tern, Madeiran Storm Petrel, and Masked Booby with different face values.All stamps have logo of Birdlife International.

The Black Noddy or White-capped Noddy (Anous minutus) is a seabird from the tern family.It is smaller than the Common Noddy with darker plumage, a whiter cap, a longer, straighter beak and shorter tail.

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 nests of these birds consist on a level platform, often created in the branches of trees by a series of dried leaves covered with bird droppings. It is usually seen close to its breeding colonies within 80 km of shore. Birds return to colonies, or other islands, in order to roost at night. 

The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion.For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

 

The Madeiran Storm-petrel, Oceanodroma castro, is of the storm-petrel family Hydrobatidae and has distinctive characteristic is mainly black with an extensive white rump with the forked tail, long wings, and flight behaviour.The measured size is 19-21 cm in length with a 43-46 cm wingspan, and weights 44-49g.

The Madeiran Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro breeds in the eastern Atlantic from the Berlengas Islands and the Azores (Portugal), down to Ascension Island and Saint Helena (St Helena to UK), and in the Pacific off eastern Japan, on Kauai, Hawaii (USA) and on the Galapagos Islands.

Birdlife of Bahamas 2006

The Brown-headed Nuthatch, Sitta pusilla, is a small (approximately 8.9 cm in length) songbird found in pine forests throughout the South-eastern United States.  The bird possesses a sharp black nail-like beak, which it uses to pound open seeds. This species of nuthatch sports a brown cap with narrow black eyeline and buff white cheeks chin, and belly. Its wings are bluish-gray in color. A small white spot is found at the nape of the neck.

It is a frequent visitor to feeding stations and is highly fond of sunflower seeds .Bold and inquisitive, this bird is readily approachable by humans. The bird is frequently observed using a small chip of bark held in its beak as a tool to dig for insects.

An endangered population occurs in the pineyards of Grand Bahama. Population surveys conducted on Grand Bahamas in 2004 suggest this species is endangered, with hundreds to possibly a few thousand individuals remaining. These birds require mature, fire-maintained stands of Caribbean Pine and face serious threats associated with accelerated development, potential logging, invasive species (including snakes, cats, raccoons, and competing cavity-nesting birds), and catastrophic storm damage.

Bahamas Post collaborated with Birdlife International issued the stamps on year 2006.

World Bird Festival 2004 (Purple Swamphen etc) – Solomon Islands Part I