9p
Short-eared Owl - Singles (4,500,000)
10p
Blue-winged Pitta - Singles (2,500,000)
10p Reprint
marked "2008" (May 6, 2008) (1,200,000)
10p Reprint
marked "2008A" (September 23, 2008) (500,000)
Se-tenant Blocks of 4 (1,125,000)
24p
Green-faced Parrotfinch
24p
Java Sparrow
24p
Yellow-breasted Bunting
24p
White-cheeked Bullfinch
Designer and Graphic Artist: Corazon T. Loza
Design Coordinator: Dr. Ngo Tiong Tak
Layout Artist: Robinson C. Cruza
Designs: All pictures taken from the book "A Guide to the
Birds of the Philippines" by Robert S. Kennedy, Pedro C. Gonzales,
Edward C. Dickinson, Hector C. Miranda, Jr., and Timothy H. Fisher.
First Day Covers: Manila
PHILIPPINE BIRDS
9p Short-eared owl
(Asio flammeus).
The Short-eared Owl is a medium-sized
Owl. The plumage is buffy brown with dark streaks on the chest,
belly, and back. Males tend to be lighter in colour than females.
This colouring provides good camouflage, but if this fails, a
Short-eared Owl will feign death to avoid detection. The wings and
tail are strongly barred. The yellow eyes are circled with black and
set in whitish or buffy-white facial disks, which are suffused with
a ring of brown. The bill is black. The head appears round without
ear tufts, but at very close range small ear tufts are visible. In
flight, the dark "wrist" on the underwing is the key field mark.
http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Asio&species=flammeus
10p
Blue-winged Pitta
(Pitta moluccensis).
The Blue-winged Pitta, Pitta moluccensis, is a species of bird in
the Pittidae family. It is found in Australia, Brunei, Cambodia,
China, Christmas Island, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and
Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical and tropical moist
lowland forests.
24p
Green-faced Parrotfinch.
The parrot finches are a group of small birds with predominantly
green-blue plumage, short rounded wings and tails. Some members of
the group are thickset and others are more shapely. The head/crown
varies in color from blue, red, or green. All but one species have
red on the rump. Parrot finches inhabit Pacific Islands ranging from
Burma to the Philippines. Many originally birds of the forested
areas are now found on edges of cultivation as a result of man's
activities.
http://www.theparrotfinches.com/species.htm
24p
Java Sparrow.
The Java Sparrow is 17cm in length.
The adult is unmistakable, with its grey upperparts and breast, pink
belly, white-cheeked black head, red eye-ring, pink feet and thick
red bill.
Both sexes are similar, but immature
birds have brown upperparts and paler brown underparts and cheeks.
The rest of their head is dark grey rather than black, and the bill
is grey with a pink base.
The Java Sparrow is a very gregarious
bird which feeds mainly on grain and other seeds. It frequents open
grassland and cultivation, and was formerly a pest in rice fields,
hence its scientific name. The nest is constructed in a tree or
building, and up to eight eggs are laid.
24p
Yellow-breasted Bunting.
This
bird is similar in size to a Reed BuntingReed Bunting but
longer-billed. The breeding male has bright yellow underparts with
black flank streaks, brown upperparts, black face and throat bar,
and a pink lower mandible.
The female has a heavily streaked
grey-brown back, and less intensely yellow underparts. She has a
whitish face with dark crown, eye and cheek stripes. The juvenile is
similar, but the background colour of the underparts and face is
buff.
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Yellow-breasted_Bunting
24p
White-cheeked Bullfinch.
The White-Cheeked Bullfinch (Pyrrhula
leucogenis) is a species of finch in the Fringillidae family. It is
found only in the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or
tropical moist montanes.