Friday, 31 October 2025
Thursday, 30 October 2025
The short-tailed albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) can be found in the northern Pacific Ocean. It feeds on squid, fish and crustaceans. It also eats offal discarded from ships. It is listed as a vulnerable species.
The red-crown crane (Grus japonensis) has been shown in the past.
The bonin white-eye (Apalopteron familiare) is endemic to the japanese Bonin Islands. It has two subspecies. It consumes fruit, flowers, insects, spiders and small reptiles. It is considered as near threatened.
Finally, the ruddy kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda) can be found in east and southeast Asia and it has ten subspecies. The northern populations are migratory. It eats insects, earthworms, land snails, lizards, fish, crabs, frogs and their tadpoles and offal.
The first three stamps were issued in 1975 while the kingfisher one in 2021.
Wednesday, 29 October 2025
The Eurasian wryneck (Jynx torquilla) can be found, as its name states, in Europe and Asia. It migrates to Africa and southern Asia for the winter. It belongs to the woodpecker family and it has six subspecies. It feeds on insects, primarily ants. It occassionally also consumes spiders, woodlice, eggs, frog tadpoles, molluscs and, rarely, berries.
The stamp was issued in 2011.
Tuesday, 28 October 2025
The tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) can be found in the north Pacific Ocean and it is a migratory species. It feeds on fish and marine invertebrates. The yellow tufts appear annually as the breeding season begins in the summer and they molt off afterwards. Their face also turns from white to grey for the winter. Thus, on the stamp, issued in 2013, they appear in their summer plumage.
The stamp to the right was issued in 2001 and it shows a northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), for which I have recently written about.
The stamp to the left, issued in 2002, feautures a house sparrow (Passer domesticus) and a Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus). The house sparrow has also been presented in the past. The Eurasian tree sparrow can be found in Europe and most of Asia and it was introduced to Australia and North America. It has nine subspecies. It primarily feeds on seeds but, during the breeding season, it also consumes invertebrates.
Issued in 2014, the stamps show a pair of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and a pair of northern shovelers (Spatula clypeata or Anas clypeata). The stamps show a male (colourful one) and a female (brown one). I have written about the mallard in the past.
The northern shoveler is a species of migratory dabbling duck that can be found in Europe, Asia, North and Central America, northern South America, the Caribbean and areas of Africa. It feeds on plant material, plankton, small crustaceans and other invertebrates.
Issued in 2011, this pair of stamps features the great tit (Parus major). It is native to Europe, central Asia, the Middle East and areas of north Africa. It has fifteen subspecies. During the summer, it eats small invertebrates. At other seasons, it adds fruit and seeds to its diet. Interestingly, in Hungary populations have been recorded preying on hibernating pipistrelle bats (Pipistrellus pipistrellus).
The European robin (Erithacus rubecula) can be found in Europe, western Asia and north Africa. The northern populations are migratory. It has nine subspecies. It feeds on earthworms, spiders, small insects, fruit and seeds. It also occationally consumes carrion and very small lizards and fish.
The Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) is native to Europe and parts of western Asia. It has nine subspecies. It feeds on small invertebrates, fruit and seeds.
As for the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) and the Eurasian magpie (Pica pica), we have seen them before.
The stamp set was issued in 2018.
Monday, 27 October 2025
Thank you Michi for this great card and clearly cancelled stamp!
The Eurasian teal (Anas crecca) is migratory species of dabbling duck found in temperate Europe and Asia. It migrates to the Mediterranean, the Nile Valley, south Asia, Japan and Taiwan. During the breeding season, it feeds on aquatic invertebrates, insects, worms and molluscs while in the winter it eats mostly seeds.
The stamp was issued in 2025.
 
Sunday, 26 October 2025
Issued in 2007, these stamps depict the yellow-rumped flycatcher (Ficedula zanthopygia) and the stork-billed kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis).
The yellow-rumped flycatcher can be found in eastern Asia and it is migratory. The male, depicted on the stamp, is more brightly coloured than the female. The latter is of olive-green or greyish colour while the former has black upper head, wings and tail, white supercilium and wingpatch and bright yellow throat and belly. It feeds on small invertebrates.
The stork-billed kingfisher is a large kingfisher native to southwestern Asia. It has thirteen subspecies. It feeds on fish, crustaceans, frogs, lizards, rodents, insects and young birds.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
