Bird Stamps in North America

Bird stamps are a way for me to enjoy another hobby, bird watching. I can see birds of other countries, and those that I have missed in my own country. The following entries are of birds found in North America, but it is not a complete list by any means.

Canada Goose

• #C9, airmail- The first bird stamp issued in Canada, this was released in 1946, a blue 7¢ value.
• #320, issued in 1952, replaced the airmail version, but was still a 7¢ value.
• #415, a group of 3 flying geese in white on blue, came out in 1963 as a 15¢ value.

The 1952 version was the first 'wildlife’ stamp, and was followed from 1953 to 1956 by stamps of other animals, but in a smaller size (see Large Mammals of Canada and Small & Medium Mammals of Canada.)

Loons

• #369, the last one in the 'wildlife' series, was issued in 1957, a 5¢ value in black & white.
• #1687 was issued as a high value stamp at $1 value in 1998, with the Latin name in micro-printing in the two thin lines in the top right area. Although the head looks black here, this bird has a dark green head in summer.

Loons breed in Canada and some of the USA, and winter on sea coasts, including Western Europe. Its haunting cry evokes thoughts of wilderness and solitude, but it is actually a territorial warning. Only one pair of these birds nest on a lake; that's the reason you only hear one cry, not a flock.

As a point of interest, this bird is also found on the Canadian $1.00 coin, hence the currency name: the Loonie.

Gannet

#343 is a 15¢ stamp of the Gannet, Morus bassanus, issued as a definitive in 1954, in black and white. This bird dives from 50' in the air then swims underwater to catch fish.

It was not listed as part of the Wildlife series. The image is of a gannet flying with the night sky in the background showing the Big Dipper and Polaris, the North Star.

Whooping Cranes

• #353 was issued by Canada in 1955, a 5¢ value. At the time of issue, the known population of Whooping Cranes in the wild was only 21 birds; they are up to (in 2007) about 370 wild ones now & 175 in captivity. These birds nest in northern Canada and winter in Texas.
• US #1098 was issued in 1957, and is entitled "Wildlife Conservation". It shows a pair of chicks and 2 adults. The adult birds are 45" tall, with a wingspan of 90".

Songbirds

• #478 - 5¢ commemorative of Grey Jays, Perisoreus canadensis, in 1968. This jay is found in coniferous woods, especially around lumber camps. It is sometimes called a Whiskey Jack in Northwestern Ontario.

The songbird set of 3 stamps in 1969 was in a commemorative layout, with one oriented vertically and the other two horizontally.

• #496 - 6¢ White Throated Sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis: Americans say the call of this bird is "Old Sam Peabody Peabody Peabody", but Canadians know it as "O My Canada Canada Canada"
• #497 - 10¢ Ipswich Sparrow, Passerculus princeps. This sparrow nests only on Sable Island, N.S. and winters along the Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to Georgia.
• #498 - 25¢ Hermit Thrush, Hylocichla ustulata. Common in woodlands of North America.

Peregrine Falcon

• #752, a 12¢ value from 1978, was the first of the Endangered Wildlife series, since its population was reduced as habitat was lost. Being predators also made these birds vulnerable to DDT when it was in use. After years of recovery efforts, the Peregrine Falcon was removed from the U.S. Threatened and Endangered Species list on August 25, 1999. The bird is still on the Endangered list in other parts of the world.
• #1691 was released in 2005 as a high value $2.00 stamp. Like the Loon #1687 above, its Latin name was written in microprinting under "Canada" in the top right.

Both the Whooping Crane and Peregrine Falcon are listed with other animals and birds in my section on Endangered Wildlife.

Some American birds

Bald Eagles, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, best known as the symbol of the United States, is a popular icon; its image has been used repeatedly by the USPS.

This large bird ranges over most of Canada and Alaska, all of the lower 48 states of the USA, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an good food supply. This bird is large, up to 38” long, 66–88” wingspan; females are larger than males. The adult Bald Eagle has a brown body with a white head and tail and both sexes look alike. It is called a sea eagle since its diet consists mainly of fish; they swoop down and catch fish out of the water with their talons.

• #2534 - 29¢, the Fiftieth Anniversary of US Savings Bonds
• #2540 - $2.90 Priority Post fee
• #2441 - $9.95 Domestic Express rate
• #2442 – 14.00 International Express charge

A set of 8 stamps containing 4 mammals and 4 birds was issued by the US in 1978, #1757 a-h.The birds were:

• #1757a - Cardinal, Richmondena dardinalis, hard to miss the male bird in bright red, with a crest.
• #1757b - Mallard duck, Anas platyrhynchos, is a common surface feeding duck all over the continent, nesting fairly far north, but wintering in the US.
• #1757c - Canada Goose, Branta canadensis, as mentioned at the top.
• #1757d - Blue Jay, Cyanocitta cristata, is a crested blue bird found in the central and eastern US, and some of the southern area of Canada. Its blue colour is not pigment, but light refracting as it strikes parts of the feathers.

Some Definitives

The following bird stamp definitives were issued in various years, most with the year printed on them at the bottom. If there was a difference in the design, they have a new Scott number, but if they were just reprints with a different date, no new numbers were issued. Some of the dates may be in different colours too.

• #2476 – American Kestrel, 1¢, shown as “01”.
• #2477 – American Kestrel, 1¢, shown as “1¢”. The bird is larger in this version, and it has brighter colours. Although Scott lists these 2 together, #2476 was issued in 1990, #2477 in 1995.
• #3032 – Red-headed Woodpecker, 2¢, issued in 1996
• #2478 – Eastern Bluebird, 3¢, shown as “03”, from 1990
• #2480 – Cardinal, 30¢ from 1990

American Kestrel, Falco sparverius is a small falcon, also called Sparrow Hawk in North America. It is about the size of an American robin. It breeds in both North & South America.

Red-headed Woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus, is a small woodpecker from temperate North America. Their breeding habitat is open country in east-central United States and southern Canada. They eat seeds, insects and bird eggs.

Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis, is a medium-sized thrush found in open woodlands & farmland east of the Rockies, from southern Canada to the Gulf States and into Central America.

Cardinal is a general term for birds of one family, but the one depicted on #2480 is the Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis. It is a bright red bird with a crest and a black mask across the eyes. They live in woodlands, gardens and swamps, eating mostly seeds, but also insects and fruit. They are found from southern Canada through the eastern USA to Guatemala & Belize.

The second grouping has:

• #3031 – American Kestrel, 1¢ again, but issued in 1999
• #3032 – Red-headed Woodpecker 2¢ again, with date of 1998
• #3033 – Eastern Bluebird, 3¢, shown as “3¢”
• #3050 – Ring-necked Pheasant, 20¢. Actually this is a coil version from 1996, but I think I may have an incorrect Scott # for it.
• #3830 – Snowy Egret, 37¢ from 2003

American Kestrel, Red-headed Woodpecker and Eastern Bluebird as above

Ring-necked Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, is an Asian species introduced into the USA as a game bird, and which is now widely dispersed. It forages on the ground for fruit, seeds and leaves as well as a wide range of invertebrates, and some small vertebrates like snakes, lizards, and small mammals.

Snowy Egret, Egretta thula is a small white heron. They live in inland and coastal wetlands, and eat fish, crustaceans, and insects. They usually find prey by wading in shallow water, but also go to pastures to catch insects stirred up by cattle.

• #3225 – Cardinal Honeyeater, Myzomela cardinalis – This red and black bird is found in tropical forests and mangrove swamps in the south Pacific islands of American Samoa and surrounding islands.
• #3222 – Antillean Euphonia - Euphonia musica – A song bird found in tropical forests of the Caribbean
• #3223 – Green-throated Carib - Eulampis holosericeus – hummingbird found in the Caribbean area
• #3224 – Crested Honeycreeper – probably a Caribbean bird, but I found nothing specific on this common name. This is the reason scientific names are useful.

• #2485 & 2484 Wood Duck, Aix sponsa, two stamps in 29¢ denomination; adult male bird has distinctive multi-colored iridescent plumage and red eyes. Both sexes have a crest. They live in swamps and marshes and on lakes; they eat berries, seeds & insects. This bird ranges from the west coast of the US to western Mexico, and the eastern part of North America.

  Note that the denomination 29¢ is in black on #2484 and in red on #2485

• #1466 8¢ Brown Pelican from 1972 and
• #3774, 37¢ Brown Pelican from 2003 -Pelecanus occidentalis - These birds range along the east and west coasts of the United States from Washington state and Virginia south to Chile, and the mouth of the Amazon. They dive for fish from the air, and have the usual pelican throat pouch.

• #1760 - Great Grey Owl, Strix nebulosa, is common only in the far north of the continent.
• #1761 - Saw-Whet Owl, Aegolius acadicus, is a tiny bird, smaller than an American Robin.
• #1762 - Barred Owl, Strix varia, is common in swamps and along rivers
• #1763 - Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus, is a large, common owl with yellow eyes. This bird lives in most of North America.

• #1430 - 8¢ California Condor, Gymnogyps californianus, lives in the Grand Canyon & Coastal Mountains of California; it is a large vulture with wingspan averaging around 9 ft. Condor numbers dramatically declined in the 19th & 20th centuries, down to 22 birds in the wild. They were all captured in 1987, and were bred in zoos until there were enough to start releasing them again into the wild in 1991. The California Condor is one of the world's rarest bird species. As of April 2008, their numbers are up to 299 known to be living, including 147 in the wild.
• #3290 Snowy Owl 33¢, part of a set of Arctic animals issued in 1998 - Bubo scandiacus – This large white bird, with yellow eyes and black beak, lives north of the Arctic Circle, but may range south when prey becomes scarce. They eat any small mammal, or birds and fish. Lemmings are the most common prey.

The USPS issued a sheet of 50 stamps of state birds in 1982, Scott #1953-2002, and in 1987 another set containing 13 birds, 31 mammals, 4 insects, a turtle and a lobster, #2286-2335. Also, at other times, some hummingbirds and scattered sea birds.

And Canada has issued 10 or more sets of 4 birds at a time, from 1986 to 2005, as well as individual stamps of birds.

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