New stamps on Birds

 

Date of Issue : 6 April 2013

White Stork from Lithuania

This spring, Lithuania Post welcomes returning storks with a new postage stamp White Stork, National Bird of Lithuania. The painting featuring White Stork landing on a nest is used for the stamp.

The White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) is a farmland bird that settles in the vicinity of areas where people live. White Storks are active mainly during the day. They consume a wide variety of animal prey. They prefer to forage in meadows, pastures, and swamps. Common food items include insects, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, eggs and young birds of ground nesting birds, sometimes – rats, mice, various reptiles. Frogs represent only minor part of the diet.

White Storks usually nest on buildings, poles, water towers, top of trees. People help storks to settle by installing pedestals of nest. The birds bring quite large branches then and build nests of hay balls, turf, dry manure, etc. White Storks build their nest continuously, even when stork chicks grow. While living in nests and repairing them White Storks assemble quite a large structure, which sometimes suffer from storks fighting and strong winds.

WWF – Loons and Grebes stamps from Aland

This is the third time Aland Post issues WWF stamps (World Wildlife Fund). Issued since 1982, WWF stamps form the largest thematic stamp collection in the world. WWF stamps always feature endangered species. Part of the stamp issue is sold in the form of thematic packs, and part of the profit is donated to WWF to assist them in preserving endangered species.

The four stamps  depict the Black-throated Loon, the Red-throated Loon, the Horned Grebe and the Great Crested Grebe.

The Black-throated Loon is 60 to 70 cm in length with a 110 to 130 cm wingspan. It is easily distinguished by a grey head and a chequered black-and-white mantle.

The Red-throated Loon is 50 to 70 cm in length with a 105 to 115 cm wingspan. Its bill is thin and often held pointing slightly upwards. The adult bird has a dark grey head and an all-dark grey-brown mantle.

The Great Crested Grebe is 45 to 50 cm in length with a 85 to 90 cm wingspan. These birds are easily distinguished from other water birds by their elaborate black and reddish brown wide cheek tufts.

The Horned Grebe is 30 to 40 cm in length with a 60 to 65 cm wingspan. It is unmistakable with its distinctive bright orange earlike tufts, black cheeks and red neck.