Welcome to my collection. My topic is birds and I collect mostly covers but I will show you a variety of philatelic material that is part my collection.

Friday, 31 October 2025


The white stork (Ciconia ciconia) has been shown twice before. Here, it can be seen on a 2011 souvenir sheet from Slovenia. The postcard is taxed as is evident by the T postmark.




Issued in 2013, this stamp features the endangered Malayan peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron malacense). It is endemic to the Malay peninsula. The male has a longer tail than the female and it also has a long crest on its head, which the female does not have. It feeds on both insects and plant material.
 

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.


Feauturing the barn shallow (Hirundo rustica) and the Eurasian chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), these two stamps belong to a set of four issued in 2020 by the Finnish Post. Both species have been presented in the past.

Wednesday, 29 October 2025


Issued in 2007, the first pair of stamps depicts the boreal or tengmalm's owl (Aegolius funereus). Next is the long-eared owl (Asio otus) followed by the little owl (Athene noctua), both issued in 2007 too. Finally, the tawny owl (Strix aluco) stamps were issued in 2009. All four species have been presented in the past.

 

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.

 

The southern giant petrel (Macronectes giganteus) can be found in islands of the south Atlantic and south Indian oceans and in southern coastal South America and the Antarctica. It feeds on carrion, birds, fish, krill, cephalopods, offal and waste from ships.

The stamp was issued in 2001.


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 Mildred!

Issued in 2011, the stamp features the white-breasted waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus), which is native to south and southeast Asia. It has five subspecies. It feeds on insects, spiders, small fish, aquatic invertebrates and seeds, shoots and roots of marsh plants. 



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


The Indian spot-billed duck (Anas poecilorhyncha) is a dabbling duck species native to southwestern Asia. It lives in freshwater wetlands and it has two subspecies. It feeds primarily on plant material but its diet occationally includes insects, worms and molluscs.

The stamp was issued in 2020.


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.


Thank you Anna for this great postcard with a matching Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) stamp issued in 2024. The Eurasian magpie is common throughout Europe and vast areas of Asia. It has six subspecies. It is omnivorous and extremelly intelligent.

 

Swinhoe's pheasant (Lophura swinhoei) is endemic to Taiwan.As can be seen on the stamps, issued in 2014, the male is mostly blue while the female is brown. It feeds on plant material and insects. It is near threatened.

Issued in 2008, the bird on the stamps is a razorbill (Alca torda), a north Atlantic seabird. It is monogamous with males generally larger than females. It has two subspecies. The North American populations are migratory. It feeds on fish, crustaceans and polychaetes. In North America, the species is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. 
 


This stamp, issued in 2010, shows the great blue turaco (Corythaeola cristata). It can be found in Africa. It feeds on plant material. The locals of west Africa hunt and eat the species.

The stamp was issued to celebrate the centenary of The East Africa Natural History Society.