Sunbirds of South Africa

From left to right :

Lemon-breasted Seedeater (檸檬黃胸絲雀)
Neergaard's Sunbird (尼氏花蜜鳥) ; Plain-backed Sunbird (純背食蜜鳥) ; 
Collared Sunbird (環頸直嘴太陽鳥)
White-breasted Sunbird (白腹花蜜鳥) ; Dusky Sunbird (暗色花蜜鳥)
South Africa (1996, 2012)
17th February, 2016. Pretoria

South Africa ranks as one of the top birding destinations in the world, offering an unbeatable combination of variety of birds, well developed transport systems, and a user-friendly and supportive birding tourism industry.

Birders from around the world come to experience both the great variety of typically African birds, migrants, and endemics - those birds found only in South Africa. These birders enjoy excellent birding, whether they are with an organised commercial birding tour or are touring independently.

Of the 850 or so species that have been recorded in South Africa, about 725, or 85%, are resident or annual visitors, and about 50 of these are endemic or near- endemic to South Africa, and can only be seen in the country.

Apart from the resident birds, South Africa hosts a number of African migrants such as cuckoos and kingfishers, as well as birds from the Arctic, Europe, Central Asia, China and Antarctica during the year.

Animal poaching awareness

From left to right :

Cape Parrot (海角鸚鵡) ; Grey Crowned-Crane (灰冠鶴)
Transkei
Wattled Crane (肉垂鶴) ; Grey Crowned-Crane (灰冠鶴)
South Africa (2015), Transkei (1991)
10th March, 2015. Menlyh

The Endangered Wildlife Trust has been engaged to train staff at South Africa’s international mail centres so that X-ray machine operators know how to identify animals and animal parts in parcels to foreign countries. The contents of all outgoing international mail items are checked by means of X-ray machines.

The elegant grey crowned crane graces many of Africa's wetlands. Threats to their populations include illegal capture for the pet trade and the loss or degradation of suitable wetland habitat, due to an increasing human population and demand for agricultural land and freshwater sources. These birds are listed as endangered.

The Cape parrot is South Africa’s only endemic parrot species and is found in the fragmented southern mistbelt forests. Over the past 150 years, illegal capture for the wild-caught bird trade has reduced the numbers of the global wild population to less than 1600 individuals.

Collared Sunbird

Collared Sunbird (環頸直嘴太陽鳥)
South Africa (2012)
15th March, 2013. Upington

Collared Sunbird is quite normal and easy to find in sub-Saharan Africa, excluding the area of south-west Africa. Two or three eggs are laid in a suspended nest in a tree. It is a seasonal migrant within its range. It only 9-10 cm long. They have short thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations to nectar feeding. The adult male has glossy green upperparts and head with a yellow belly and narrow purple breast band. The female is a duller green above and entirely yellow below.

Cape Parrot

Cape Parrot (海角鸚鵡)
South Africa (2011)
20th July, 2011. Tshwane

In 2010, South Africa continues to issue their popular domestic bird series stamps, it was fifth in the series and as before, each set features five species. This time, five forest birds are the actors and I only selected Cape Parrot for my collection. According to the stamps quite expensive, I gave up to collect whole set of stamps, even they seem beautiful enough.

Originally Cape Parrot has three sub-species separately endemic to South Africa (Cape Parrot / Poicephalus robustus robustus (海角鸚鵡)) ; middle of Africa (Grey-headed Parrot / P. r. suahelicus (灰頭鸚鵡)) and West Africa (Brown-necked Parrot / P. r. fuscicollis (啡頸海角鸚鵡)), however after reclassified they were become three individual species and the scientific name of Cape Parrot becomes Poicephalus fuscicollis. Now this species probably endemic to south-east of South Africa and border of Mozambique.

Lilac-breasted Roller

Lilac-breasted Roller (東非佛法僧)
South Africa (2000)
4th May, 2011. Pretoria

Not very special of this maxicard, just as Lilac-breasted Roller is one of beautiful and colourful bird in sub-Sahara area. I decided to arrange this card when I found such beautiful card, same as before the philatelic bureau only use its ordinary postmark to cancel the stamp.

Little Egret

Little Egret (小白鷺)
South Africa (2010)
22nd December, 2010. Tshwane

It is the latest and newest bird aerogramme issued recent years. As talked before, now less and less postal administration interest to issue aerogramme as lack of using demand. South Africa was an exception to do it on 2010 and seems it will issue in following years.

I think I do not need to make description of Little Egret again, please enjoy this beautiful aerogramme as it really amazing to show an egret ready to fly.

Richtersveld

Namaqua Sandgrouse (納馬誇沙雞)
South Africa (2010)
1st October, 2010. Tshwane

It is the second post related to Africa during February, totally I will show three in this month. South Africa continued to issue wild animals during 2010, on September a set of 5 stamps illustrate different species to be found, or common species which live in Richtersveld, a UNESCO heritage site inscripted on 2007. It was the third set of South African stamps related to birds in 2010, included International Year of Biodiversity and South Africa bird series : Grassland Birds.

Richtersveld is a mountainous desert landscape in the north Namaqualand of South Africa, sitting in the border of Namibia. The area keeps wide ranges of animals and plants, and also there is a home to Nama, traditional residents of South Africa. Namaqua Sandgrous is an endemic species to be found in Richtersveld, and also Angola, Botswana and Namibia.

International Year of Biodiversity (2) - South Africa

From top to bottom :
Lilac-breasted Roller (東非佛法僧) ; Southern-white Rhinoceros (南方白犀牛)
South Africa (2010)
11th March, 2010. Henley on Klip, Gauteng

South Africa also participated issue the joint theme International Year of Biodiversity and released on March. Stamps feature 4 different species to be found in South Africa (actually it is better than Portugal one). Above cover, really sent on the day of issue from Henley on Klip, Gauteng. But the unclear postmark shown the day 11th March 2010 ! Earlier one day than the formal day of issue. The cover selected two of the set, which featuring Lilac-breasted Roller and Southern-white Rhinoceros. Lilac-breasted Roller was presented as before, it is a common colourful bird in this country, in the right hand corner also features a Baobab (猴麵包樹) ; another one, rhinoceros has two sub-species of rhinoceros, they are Northern-white Rhinoceros (北方白犀牛) and Southern-white Rhinoceros. Nowadays more than 90 precent rhinoceros are Southern-white Rhinoceros, they mostly live in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Rhinoceros is an endangered species, as the illegal hunting for the valuable horn.

When close up to the stamp, there have couple of oxpeckers lay in rhinoceros body, they are Red-billed Oxpecker (紅嘴啄牛鳥). The stamp also indicated the bird name, however the illustration seems wrongly with Yellow-billed Oxpeckers (黃嘴啄牛鳥). Oxpeckers are also commonly to be found in sub-Sahara area of African countries, it mostly lay in the bodies of ox, rhinoceros and other large mammal.

Stanley Crane

Stanley Crane (藍鶴)
South Africa (2008)
6th January, 2010. Cape Town

A mail from Cape Town again, actually I am little bit confuse of the respond my question of his last mail. Thus I don't have ability and give up to solve the problem. Anyway I must say thanks to him as he still uses nice bird stamps for me. As last mail, this crane stamp is come from same bird series issued on 2008. Stanley Crane, formally called Blue Crane is a national bird of South Africa, it measured eliminate 100 to 120 cm tall, with bluish feather and white crest, also a pink bill and dark-grey tail. As the damage of inhabit areas and facing attack of wild dogs, it is being extinct.

7th definitive stamps of South Africa (2)

R10 : African Green Pigeon (非洲綠鳩) ; R2 : Lilac-breasted Roller (東非佛法僧)
R1,30 : Black-eyed Susan Vine (翼葉山牽牛)
5c : Palette Surgeonfish (黃尾副刺尾魚) ; 20c : Royal Angelfish (甲尻魚)
South Africa (2000)
24th November, 2009. Henley on Klip, Gauteng

After the last definitive cover from South Africa, here is other one affixed full of 7th definitive stamps, and also it seems the last one of this series. This cover featuring other two birds to be found in South Africa, also two types of coral fish and one local flower. African Green Pigeon and Lilac-breasted Roller are widely to be found in sub-African area, and also Arabic Peninsular, they are very common and easy to be observed. The flower, and two coral fishes now are very popular in the world as people plated it on backyard or as pet-fish, they are also very common in south-east Africa.

Thanks for Mr. R. Olivier of his great help from South Africa, Heley on Klip is a small village found on 1905 it is located on the east part of South Africa, next to the highway between Johannesburg and Vereeniging.

Ostrich again

Common Ostrich (駝鳥)
South Africa (2008)
18th November, 2009. Cape Town
27th November, 2009. Hongkong

Just a short note this time, I receive this simple letter on few weeks ago from one philatelist (perhaps dealer) who lives in South Africa. Actually I found him actively as South Africa Philatelic Bureau made a big mistake of philatelic item, and this mail just a reply.

Ostrich has been shown in last Morocco thread, the maxicard seems match the orange backgrounded stamp excellently. Of course, ostrich is commonly to be found in tropical desert of Africa. From the north-westernmost country Morocco to southernmost South Africa. So it is not surprise more ostrich stamps to be shown in future.

7th definitive stamps of South Africa (1)

R3 : Woodland Kingfisher (林地翠鳥) ; R20 : Violet-crested Turaco (紫冠蕉鵑)
5c : Palette Surgeonfish (黃尾副刺尾魚)
R1,30 (L) : Blue Marguerite (蘭雛菊) ; R1,30 (R) : Botterblom (美麗勳章菊)
South Africa (2000)
23th September, 2009. Pretoria
7th October, 2009. Hongkong

In millennium, South Africa released their seventh definitive stamps after its independence. Stamps illustrate South African flowers, butterflies, fishes and birds, and also moths of its extended issues on 2002. Only 5 high value stamps are bird thematic issue, above cover is two of them. Woodland Kingfisher is one of the most common species in Africa, mostly lives in south of Sahara. It looks similar with Common Kingfisher (普通翠鳥) but smaller, and with reddish bill. Violet-crested Turaco widely to be found in eastern African countries include Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland and South Africa, it is a national bird of Swaziland.

Other species appear on this cover also seem attractive. Botterblom is a popular colourful flower of backyard or garden, original planted in east and north parts of South Africa ; and widely to be found them in Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia. Blue Marguerite is a local wild flower, commonly planted in north and north-west of Africa. Palette Surgeonfish is a common surgeon live in the range of topical pan-Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean, blue coloured body with sharp yellow tail likes a valuable jewelle. It became famous pet fish after it visible on the cartoon movie Nemo.