19 September 2016

Birds of Canada..




Here is a beautiful set of stamps issued by  Canada Post for the bird lovers featuring five birds of Canada. Clockwise from upper left, the five featured birds are the Rock Ptarmigan (Nunavut), the Great Horned Owl (Alberta), the Atlantic Puffin (Newfoundland and Labrador), the Sharp-tailed Grouse (Saskatchewan) and the Common Raven (Yukon). Part of each bird‘s wings and/or body extends beyond the border of each stamp, creating a sense of movement.


  • Atlantic puffin (Newfoundland and Labrador) – Sometimes called a sea parrot for its brightly coloured beak that turns grey after the breeding season, the puffin spends most of its life at sea. It can dive as deep as 60 metres to catch fish and small crustaceans. Its main breeding grounds in Canada are along the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador and eastern Quebec.
  • Common raven (Yukon) – The raven holds a special place in the heritage of some First Nations and often takes the role of the trickster. Ravens breed across most of the northern hemisphere but are less common in human-inhabited areas than their smaller cousin, the American crow.
  • Great horned owl (Alberta) – The owl is named for its ear-like “horns,” which are actually just tufts of feathers. It has a deep hooting voice and a yellow-eyed stare, and can swivel its head more than 180 degrees to compensate for eyes that don't move in their sockets. Vise-like talons allow it to prey on animals as large as skunks and rabbits. The night hunter was selected as the province's official bird in a vote by schoolchildren.
  • Rock ptarmigan (Nunavut) – Called aqiggiq in Inuktut, the rock ptarmigan appears in the art, folklore and diet of indigenous peoples. Well adapted to the cold climate, it lives in the Arctic year-round and is camouflaged by white winter plumage and mottled brown summer plumage. Its feet are covered with feathers to retain warmth and to help it walk on the snow's surface.
  • Sharp-tailed grouse (Saskatchewan) – A common sight on the prairies and grasslands, the non-migratory sharp-tailed grouse survives harsh winters and summer droughts. In the spring breeding season, the birds gather on ancestral mating grounds, where the males dance, stamping their feet and displaying their feathers and yellow combs to impress the females.

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