3150) Winter Waterfowl, Romania: Romfilatelia (Romanian Post) has issued a postage stamp set featuring The Smew (Mergellus albellus - Lei 2), Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata - Lei 4), The Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope - Lei 12), The Bean Goose (Anser fabalis - Lei 13), The Whistling Swan or Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus - First Day Cover): Date of Stamp set issue: 05.01.2024:
About Winter Waterfowl:
Romfilatelia (Romanian Post) has brought out a new postage stamps issue with the Fauna theme under the title "Winter Waterfowl" composed of four stamps, a First Day Cover and a philatelic folder in a limited edition. The issue has been introduced into circulation on January 5, 2024.
The winter birds, whose images are reproduced on the stamps of the issue, belong to the family of homeotherms, whose species have the ability to maintain a constant body temperature, regardless of the season.
The Pstage Stamps issued by Romfilatelia:
The Smew (Mergellus albellus), illustrated on the stamp with the face value of Lei 2, it is a species of waterfowl related to ducks, geese and swans that lives in the taiga freshwater areas of northern Europe and Asia. In Romania, during the passage and wintering period, the species can be noticed on most lakes and large rivers, from the plain to the low mountain area. Occasionally, nesting pairs have been noticed in the Danube Delta.
The smew reaches 38 - 44 cm in length, 500 - 900 g in weight and has a wingspan of 56 - 69 cm.
The smew is not a threatened species, but habitat loss and water pollution can have a negative impact on local populations.
The Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata), depicted on the stamp with the face value of Lei 4, it is a species of waterfowl that lives and nests in tundra, coastal and lake areas, around the northern regions of Europe. Some specimens also reach Romania during this migration.
The body length is 55- 67 cm, the average weight is 1 - 2.5 kg and the wingspan is 91 - 110 cm.
The red-throated loons reach sexual maturity relatively late, around the age of 3-4 years and can live up to about 20 years.
The Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope), illustrated on the stamp with the face value of Lei 12, it is a species that breeds in Northern Europe and Asia and migrates for winter over very long distances. The species can appear in Romania during migration, both in autumn and spring.
Males have chestnut-coloured head and neck plumage, with a brownish-yellowish forehead and pinkish breast, while females are more discreet, predominantly brown. In winter, the males have a much duller plumage, similar to that of females. The body length is 45 - 51 cm, the weight is 600 - 1,000 g in the case of the male and 500 - 800 g in the case of the female, and the wingspan is 75 - 86 cm.
The Bean Goose (Anser fabalis), represented on the stamp with the face value of Lei 13, it is a species with a widespread in Eurasia, breeding in northern Europe as well as in Siberia. In Romania, it is a rare species.
The species does not exhibit sexual dimorphism, with males and females having similar plumage. The body length is 71 - 89 cm, the average body weight is 3.4 kg (male) and 2.8 kg (female), and the wingspan is 135- 163 cm.
The First Day Cover (FDC)
The Whistling Swan or Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus), illustrated on the First Day Cover (FDC), is a species that lives in the tundra regions of the northern hemisphere, in the form of two subspecies, Cygnus columbianus columbianus (in North America) and Cygnus columbianus bewickii (in Eurasia).
The subspecies C. c. bewickii appears in Romania as a winter guest, being especially widespread in the regions of the south-east of the country (Dobrogea, Bărăgan). The subspecies was named after the English naturalist Thomas Bewick.
The Special Cancellation is of Bucharest Post Office and the date of Cancellation is - "05.01.2024".
Four Stamp Sheet (SS) of the four variants consisting of four stamps each and a coupon/label.
Full Sheets (FS) of the four variants containing 32 Stamps each.
A Philatelic Folder (PF)
Technical details:
Issue Date: 05.01.2024
Designer: Mihai Cristie
Process: Offset, in 4 colours,
Paper for stamps: gummed,
Produced by: Tullis Russel (UK origin),
Purchased by: The Stamp Factory; weight: 112 ± 4% g/m2
Size(s):
Stamp size: 33.00 mm x 48.00 mm / 48 x 33 mm,
Block sizes: 150.00 mm x 130.00 mm (in philatelic folder),
Minisheets sizes: 126.00 mm × 126.00 mm
Stamp Values: 2.00 Lei, 4.00 Lei, 12.00 Lei, 13.00 Lei
Links to Posts on "European Year of Rail":
17) Institute of Speleology (Study of Caves) "Emil Racovita", Romania: A Century of Research (1920-2020): A set of four stamps issued by Romfilatelia (Romanian Post) featuring representative images of Caves of Romania which are of great importance for Speleological Research & Activity: Date of Stamp set issue: 18.06.2020
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