New Stamps on Forest Birds of South Africa

 

Date of Issue : 15 July 2011

The United Nations declared 2011 the International Year of Forests. To coincide with this, the South African Post Office issued stamps on  forest birds as its theme for a new set of stamps in the South African bird series.

The birds depicted on the set of five stamps are the green twin spot, olive bush-shrike, Cape parrot, Knysna turaco (lourie) and the African crowned eagle.

In South Africa, indigenous forests cover only about 0,25 percent of South Africa's land surface. With a few exceptions, such as the forests of the Knysna area and the KwaZulu-Natal coastal dune systems, forests are small, usually occupying less than 1 000 ha. These forests provide shelter to some of South Africa's most spectacular birds.

Source : International Stamp News