2007, December 19. Philippine Birds Definitive Issue
Litho Offset. Amstar Company, Inc. Perf. 13 1/2
Singles, Sheets of 100 (10 x 10) (9p, 10p); Se-tenant Blocks of 4, Sheets of 80 (8 x 10)
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
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. (www.Wikipedia.com)
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. (www.Wikipedia.com)
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.
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