Thank you Yulia for this postcard. The bird stamp is part of a m/s issued by Ukraine in 2008. Cinereus Vulture (Aegypius monachus) is also known as Black Vulture. It lives in southern Europe and Asia. It is one of the largest vultures. In Europe it is on the verge of extinction due to poisoning.

Thank you Nestor for this postcard from Cuba. The stamp was issued in 1995 and it comes from a set of six stamps. Red-legged Thrush (Turdus plumbeus) can be found in Haiti, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba etc in forests. It feeds mostly on fruit but it also eats snails, insects, birds' eggs, lizards and frogs.

Another Norfolk Island set issued in 2009 along with the FDC. I like the idea of showing the birds' eggs on the FDC.

New Zealand Fantail (Rhipidura fuliginosa): This bird can be found in New Zealand, Chatham Islands and Lord Howe Island. It has a few subspecies. It feeds on insects.

Pacific Robin (Petroica multicolor): It lives in the forests of the south western Pacific islands and it has 14 subspecies. It feeds on insects, spiders and pseudoscorpions.

Australian Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis): It can be found in Australia and Indonesia living in forests. It eats insects, spiders and other small arthropods.

Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus): It lives in river valleys, mangroves and forests in Australia, Fiji, Norfolk Island, New Caledonia, New Zealand etc. It is 19-23 cm Long and it feeds on insects, small fish, small rodents and reptiles.

Here is the maximum card showing Norfolk Parakeet (Cyanoramphus cookii) which is endemic to the island. It lives in forests but it visits plantations to find fruit. It also eats seeds, flowers and leaves. It nests in tree-hollows. This parrot is threatened due to habitat loss.

Thank you Peter for this excellent cover from Australia. Excellent commemorative postmarks canceling all the stamps. This strip of five stamps came from this m/s which was issued at the 4th of August 2009. Species at risk is a joint issue between the Australian territories: Australia, Norfolk Island, Australian Antarctic Territory, Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands. About the parrot I will talk in the next post.

The stamp used comes from a set of 12 stamps issued in 2009. All the stamps of the set are devoted to birds. Red-billed Pied Tanager (Lamprospiza melanoleuca) lives in the Amazon rain forest and it is the only member of the genus Lamprospiza. It feeds on fruit and insects.

Thank you Rajko for this great cover. The full 2007 set is used. The first stamp is another Golden Eagle stamp. The second one is the Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus). It is a small gull which lives in Asia, Europe and eastern coastal Canada. It is a migratory species and like many sea birds it breeds in colonies. As an opportunist feeder, it doesn't only fish but insects, seeds, worms, scraps and carrion.

Thank you Brian for this cover with two 2003 stamps and a machine cancellation. I have already written about the Peregrine Falcon so I will focus on the 1st stamp of White Wagtail (Motacilla alba). It lives in parts of north Africa, in Europe and in Asia. They birds living in in the colder places migrate in the winter. This bird has 11 subspecies. Its diet includes insects, worms, spiders, snails and sometimes small fish.

Not of my favorite covers as it has many not related to my topic stamps, it was hand canceled. The bird on this 1973 stamp is European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis). It is a small bird of the finch family. It lives in Europe, western and central Asia and north Africa. The birds living in the colder places migrate in the winter. It eats small seeds and teasels. This species is also a popular pet because of its melodic singing and beautiful plumage.

Another french cover this time a California's Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) stamp issued in 2009.
The Condor now lives only in a few places in North America. This large vulture can live up to 50 years and it has a bald head and black plumage. On the underside of its wings it has white patches. It feeds on dead mammals. Condors almost became extinct thanks to humans but a conservation project help to increase their numbers.

Nice cover with both machine and clear hand cancellation. However, the cancel on the first stamp doesn't cancel the envelope as well and if you look closely you can notice not only the date is two years older from the rest cancels but the town is different too. This stamp, which was issued in 2007, has been used twice. The second stamp was issued in 1995.

Barau's Petrel (Pterodroma baraui): It is a medium size petrel living in the area between Indonesia and western Australia. It feeds on small fish which catches by surface-seizing and plunge diving. It is an endangered species.

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo): Another sea bird which is migratory. It lives in the sud-arctic areas of Europe, north and central America and Asia. It also feeds on fish which catches by plunge diving. It doesn't fish just in the sea but in rivers and lakes too.

To finish with the Barn Owl I am presenting you another cover from Austria, thank you Florian. The stamp was issued in 2009.

In 2010 Belgium issued a high value stamp and an ATM label showing the Barn Owl (Tyto alba). The ATM commemorates the Birdpex Expo which was held in Brussels on 9-12 of April 2010.
This owl is the most widespread of all birds. It has many subspecies, it is a nocturnal bird of prey as most owls and it eats small birds and mammals, toads, insects etc. Although it is not threatened globally in many places the Barn Owl faces constant poisoning.

This m/s was issued in 2009 by Ukraine. Eurasian Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) is also known as Western Capercaillie or Wood Grouse. It lives in Asia and northern Europe. It has 11 subspecies. It eats leaves, berries, buds, grasses, insects and conifer needles. It is a game bird.

This stamp was issued on the 28th of August 2009 in self adhesive form and it was available for purchase in a set of 10 stamps: 5 of the bee and 5 of the bird.

Thank you Hammer for this beautiful cover from Austria. The White-tailed Eagle stamp was issued in 2007.

The European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) stamp was issued in 2009. This species live in southern Europe and in parts of western Asia and north Africa. It migrates to India, Sri Lanka and tropical Africa. Sexes are alike. It feeds with insects, mostly bees, which catches in the air. their nests are in the form of tunnels near sandy river banks. This birds live in colonies.

Another joint issue this time between Iran (cover) and Portugal (stamps) in 2009.

White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla): It is also known as Sea Eagle. This bird of prey can be found in northern Asia and northern Europe. Apart from other birds and small mammals it can also eat fish. With the reduce of food sources and the poisoning by farmers, the Sea Eagle has become an endangered species.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus): It is a fish-eating bird of prey and it has four subspecies. It has a worldwide distribution and it is a migratory bird.

Here is one of my Chinese covers, thank you CJ. The set was issued in 1997 and it is a joint issue with Sweden.

Lady Amherst's Pheasant (Chrysolophus amherstiae): It is native to south western China and Myanmar. Only the male has such a colorful plumage. A small population has been introduced to England. It feeds on grains, leaves and invertebrates. At night it roosts at trees.

Ring-necked Pheasant ( Phasianus colchicus): Ring-necked pheasant is the name for subspecies of the Common Pheasant, a game bird native to Russia. This subspecies have been introduced as game birds in many parts of the world. There are about 30 subspecies. they prefer to live in grasslands near water and they eat fruit, leaves, invertebrates, seeds, snakes, birds, small mammals and lizards.

I want to thank Catalina for sending me this cover from Villarrica in Chile. The top stamp issued in 2007 has the inscription "Region de Magallanes y Antartica" and the bottom one issued in 2006 "Antartica Chilena XII REGION".

Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsten): It is the biggest of all penguins and it is endemic to Antarctica. It can stay underwater from 18 minutes hunting fish or krill. Due to climate changes this penguin is an endangered species.

Gentoo Penguin (Pygoscelis papua): Its white patch above its eyes makes hard to confuse this penguin. There are two subspecies. It can be found in subantarctic islands.

Here is a cover from Cyprus again with a Rock Pigeon stamp. It is part of a set issued in 2009. I will present the whole set another time. No postmark on the stamps but that is no surprise considering the place they were glued. The cover has a machine cancellation which commemorates the 25th Ayia Napa Festival. Ayia Napa is a village in Famagusta county.

This is one of my favorite postcards. On this 2008 stamp you can see a Rock Pigeon (Columba livia). This species can be found both in the wild and as a domestic bird. It can be found in all continents. Rock Pigeons were used to carry mail and many claim it to be a delicious food.

This is a registered cover from Bolivia with an excellent postmark. Both stamps are coming from a 2007 issue.

Glittering-bellied Emerald (Chlorostilbon lucidus): This hummingbird can be found in South American countries.

Blue-crowned Motmot (Momotus momota): It can be found in forests in Central and South America. It eats insects, small lizards and fruits.

Thank you Frederick for this cover. The stamp was issued in 2005. Crested Barbet (Trachyphonus Vaillantii) lives in Africa and it is also named Levaillant's Barbet after the French explorer and ornithologist Francois Levaillant.

This stamp is part of a set issued in 1982 by Zaire. The bird is Three-banded Plover (Charadrius tricollaris). It lives in Madagascar and southern Africa in rivers and lakes and it feeds on insects, worms and other invertebrates. It has a subspecies.
Unfortunately the postmark is not clear.

Finishing with this bird I would like to show you this non official maximum card. Thanks to a friend in Taiwan who took it to the post office for a postmark and then send it back to me.

This is the cover with the complete set of 2008. Too bad that the 2nd postmark covers the head of the bird on the last stamp.

Formosan Blue Magpie (Urocissa caerulea) is one of my favourite birds. It is endemic in the mountains of Taiwan.

This FDC was prepared and mailed by James. The m/s was issued in 2008 along with a set of four stamps which I will show on a cover.

I want to thank my friend in Nicaragua for sending me this cover. The stamps were issued in 1991.

Yellow-headed Amazon Parrot (Amazona oratrix): It lives in Central America and it is threatened. It is a popular pet. Its feathers are green with a yellow head and its tail is short.

Keel-billed Tucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus): It lives in South America and it is the national bird of Belize. Its body is black and its neck and chest are yellow. It also has a big colorful bill.

White-necked Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora): It is a large hummingbird living in Central and South America. Its belly and tail are white, it has a white band on the nape and its head is dark blue.

PEREGRINE FALCON (Falco peregrinus)

It lives in all the continents making it the most widespread falcon. It has blue-grey back, barred white underpants and black head. It has many subspecies.

Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus)

It lives in Africa, southeast Europe and Asia. It is large and it hunts by horizontal pursuit. It is not threatened.

GOLDEN EAGLE (Aquila chrysaetos)

This bird of prey lives in the Northern Hemisphere. He has dark brown feathers but his head and neck are golden-brown. Luckily it is not in the IUCN list.

Hello, for my first entry I chose this cover from Algeria. Thank you Zine for sending it to me.

The set was issued in 2010.