2009, November 24. Philippine Birds - Definitives (Reprints 2009C)
Litho Offset. Amstar Company, Inc. Perf. 13.5
Singles, Sheets of 50 (10 x 5)
50p Grey-headed Fish Eagle - Singles (20,000)
100p Philippine Hawk Eagle - Singles (20,000)
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
50p Grey-headed Fish Eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus). 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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Birds