After kicking off the “Conservation of Birds” series in 2008 with a set of stamps on the Taiwan blue magpie, Chunghwa Post is now following up with another set of four stamps and a souvenir sheet featuring the Swinhoe’s pheasant. This issue consist out of four stamps in a block with a souvenir sheet.
The design of the stamps
1. Four stamps in a se-tenant block:(1) Immature (NT$5): Immature young males have a mottled plumage that resembles a mix of adult male and adult female plumage.
(2) Male (NT$5): The male has a bright red wattle on each cheek, a dark bluish black head, white patches on its crest, nape, and upper back, and red scapulars. It has long tail feathers including two central pure white ones. The rest of its body is bluish black with a bright blue or bluish green sheen.
(3) Chicks (NT$10): The chicks have an eye line beside each eye and several dark brown stripes on their heads.
(4) Hen and Chick (NT$12): The plain female is brown overall with dense arrow- and v-shaped patterns. Its tail feathers are chestnut red with black horizontal markings. Chicks start follow around their mothers as soon as they are hatched.
2. Souvenir sheet (NT$25): The sheet displays courtship behavior of Swinhoe’s pheasants. The male struts around the female while rapidly flapping its spread wings and making continuous calls.
More information stampset
Issue date: 20-02-2014
Paper: Phosphorescent stamp paper
Perforation: 121/2 × 131/2
