2009, June 8. Philippine Birds - Definitives (Reprints 2009A)
Litho Offset. Amstar Company, Inc. Perf. 13.5
Singles, Sheets of 100 (10 x 10) (8p, 9p)
Singles, Sheets of 50 (10 x 5) (50p, 100p)
8p Apo Myna - Singles (100,000)
9p Crested Serpent Eagle - Singles (125,000)
50p Grey-headed Fish Eagle - Singles (35,000)
100p Philippine Hawk Eagle - Singles (35,000)
Note: Originally a 2008 issue, reprinted earlier this year marked "2009" and now with "2009A".
Design: 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
8p Apo Myna (Basilornis mirandus) is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is becoming rare due to habitat loss. The mynas is a group of passerine birds which occur naturally only in southern and eastern Asia. Several species have been introduced to areas like North America, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, especially the Common Myna which is often regarded as an invasive species. Mynas are medium-sized passerines with strong feet. Their flight is strong and direct, and they are gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country, and they eat insects and fruit. Several species live around habitation, and are effectively omnivores. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apo_Myna
9p Crested Serpent Eagle, Spilornis cheela or Kanmuri-washi is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae. The Philippine Serpent Eagle (S. holospila) is sometimes included here as a subspecies. The Crested Serpent Eagle can be found in a large geographical region from South Asia, including Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka, to Southeast Asia, extending to southern China and Indonesia. This forest bird nests in treetops near fresh water. Its nests are constructed with sticks and contain not more than a single egg at a time. It is a medium large raptor at about 55-75cm in length. Adults have dark brown upperparts and head, and have a hooded appearance at rest. The underparts and underwing coverts are pale brown. In soaring flight, the broad wings are held in a shallow V. The tail and underside of the flight feathers are black with broad white bars. When perched, they appear large headed and owl-like due to the shape of the face and positioning of the eyes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spilornis_cheela
50p Grey-headed Fish Eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus) is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae. Grey-headed Fish Eagle breeds in southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka to south east Asia and the Philippines. It is a forest bird which builds a stick nest in a tree near water and lays two to four eggs. It is a largish stocky raptor at about 70-75cm in length. Adults have dark brown wings and back, a grey head and reddish brown breast. The lower belly, thighs and tail are white, the latter having a black terminal band. Sexes are similar, but young birds have a pale buff head, underparts and underwing, all with darker streaking. Grey-headed Fish Eagle, as its English and scientific names suggest, is a specialist fish eater which hunts over lakes, lagoons and large rivers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey-headed_Fish_Eagle
100p Philippine Hawk Eagle - While only a medium-sized hawk-eagle, this inhabitant of the Philippines has a striking appearance due to its long crest of four or five feathers, up to seven centimetres long, protruding from its crown. The plumage on the upperparts is dark brown, and the dark brown tail is striped with four to five darker, narrow bands. The head and underparts are reddish-brown with black streaking, and the throat is whitish. The wings are broad and rounded and barred flight feathers can be seen in flight. There are two subspecies of the Philippine hawk-eagle: S.p. philippensis and S.p. pinskeri. Some believe that due to genetic and morphological differences S.p. pinskeri should be upgraded to the species level, Pinsker's hawk-eagle S. pinskeri, although this has not yet been fully accepted. S.p. philippensis is larger and darker below and has an unbarred reddish-brown lower belly. S.p. pinskeri is smaller, lighter below, and has a barred brown, black and white belly. - http://www.arkive.org/philippine-hawk-eagle/spizaetus-philippensis/description.html
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