ANIMALS - BIRDS

Roadrunner

The roadrunner is a member of the Cuckoo family. It lives in the thorny scrub, sparse grasslands and deserts of Mexico and of the Southwestern United States. It can run up to 17 miles per hour. It can keep its large body airborne for just more than a few seconds and so prefers walking or running.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: SolArts66

Black-crowned Night Heron

These birds stand still at the water's edge and wait to ambush prey, mainly at night or early morning. They primarily eat small fish, crustaceans, frogs, aquatic insects, small mammals and small birds. During the day they rest in trees or bushes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wonderful envelope with a lot of stamps.

Received from: micio

 

 

 

 

Red Kite

Red Kites are distinctive because of their forked tail and striking colour - predominantly chestnut red with white patches under the wings and a pale grey head.
They have a wingspan of nearly two metres, but a relatively small body.
This means the bird is incredibly agile, and can stay in the air for many hours with hardly a beat of its wings. Red Kites are predators and take a wide variety of live prey, ranging from earthworms to small mammals, amphibians and birds.

 

 

 

 

A beautiful stamp.

Received from: danieleastwood90

 

Swan

The swans are the largest members of the duck family Anatidae, and are among the largest flying birds. Their wingspans can be almost 3 m. Swans usually mate for life, though 'divorce' does sometimes occur, particularly following nesting failure. The number of eggs in each clutch ranges from three to eight.

 

 

 

 

Many stamps.

 Received from: begemotik

 

Black Stork

The Black Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is a widespread, but uncommon, species that breeds in the warmer parts of Europe (predominantly in central and eastern regions), across temperate Asia and Southern Africa. This is a shy and wary species, unlike the closely related White Stork. It is seen in pairs or small flocks—in marshy areas, rivers or inland waters. The Black Stork feeds on amphibians and insects.

 

 

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: lenasmile

Osprey

The Osprey, sometimes known as the sea hawk, fish eagle or fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than 60 cm (24 in) in length and 180 cm (71 in) across the wings. It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts, with a black eye patch and wings. The Osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply.

 

A nice stamp.

Received from: Springlight

 

 

 

Olive Bee Eater

The Olive Bee-eater is found in the grassland and coastal mountain forests of East Africa and Madagascar, and an isolated population can be found in coastal Angola. They are partially migratory, and usually breed only in the southern portion of their range, moving north for the dry season in southern Africa. It lays four eggs in a burrow nest at the beginning of the southern African wet season, and the chicks usually hatch at the beginning of December.

 

A beautiful stamp.

Received from: yulien

 

 

 

 

 

Minnesota Birds

The Northern Cardinal is a mid-sized songbird with a body length of 21 centimeters (8.3 inches). It has a distinctive crest on the head and a mask on the face which is black in the male and gray in the female. The male is a vibrant red, while the female is a dull red-brown shade. The Northern Cardinal is mainly granivorous, but also feeds on insects and fruit. The Great Northern Loon, is a large member of the loon, or diver, family of birds. The species is known as the Common Loon in North America and the Great Northern Diver in Eurasia. This species, like all divers, is a specialist fish-eater, catching its prey underwater, diving as deep as 200 feet (60 m). The Black-capped Chickadee is a small, North American songbird. It is notable for its capacity to lower its body temperature during cold winter nights, its good spatial memory to relocate the caches where it stores food, and its boldness near humans (they can feed from the hand).

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: Spriggan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting. The Bald Eagle is both the national bird and national animal of the United States of America. The Bald Eagle appears on its Seal.

 

A beautiful stamp.

Received from: RobinP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stork

Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. Storks occur in many regions of the world. Storks have no syrinx and are mute, giving no call; bill-clattering is an important mode of stork communication at the nest. Many species are migratory. Most storks eat frogs, fish, insects, earthworms, small birds and small mammals. Their nests are often very large and may be used for many years. Some nests have been known to grow to over 2 m (6 ft) in diameter and about 3 m (10 ft) in depth.

 

Beautiful EUROPA stamps.

Received from: littlesquirrel