ANIMALS – BIRDS – SEABIRDS – BROWN SKUA (STERCORARIUS ANTARCTICUS)

Animals - Birds - Seabirds

Brown skua (Stercorarius antarcticus)

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Order : Charadriiiformes
Family :Stercoriidae
Genus : Stercorarius
Species : S. Antarcticus

Description:

The Brown skua(Stercorarius antarcticus), also known as the Antarctic skua, subantarctic skua, southern great skua, southern skua, or hākoakoa (Māori), is a large seabird that breeds in the subantarctic and Antarctic zones and moves further north when not breeding. Its taxonomy is highly complex and a matter of dispute, with some splitting it into two or three species: Falkland skua (S. antarcticus), Tristan skua (S. hamiltoni), and subantarctic skua (S. lönnbergi). To further confuse, it hybridizes with both the south polar and Chilean skuas, and the entire group has been considered to be a subspecies of the great skua, a species otherwise restricted to the Northern Hemisphere.

It feeds on fish (often via kleptoparasitism), other birds, small mammals, eggs and carrion.

This is the heaviest species of skua and rivals the largest gulls, the great black-backed gull and glaucous gull, as the heaviest species in the shorebird order although not as large in length or wingspan. It is 52–64 cm (20–25 in) in length, 126–160 cm (50–63 in) in wingspan and has abody mass of 1.2–2.18 kg (2.6–4.8 lb). S. a. hamiltoni measured on Gough Island, weighed an average of 1.43 kg (3.2 lb) in 9 males and 1.65 kg (3.6 lb) in 9 females. S. a. lönnbergi measured in the Chatham Islands weighed an average of 1.73 kg (3.8 lb) in 30 males and an average of 1.93 kg (4.3 lb) in 32 females. The latter is the highest colony mean body mass for any living species of shorebird.

Binomial Name:

Name : Stercorarius antarcticus
Taxonomist : René Primevère Lesson (Rochefort - France)
Year : 1831
Subspecies : 3 (Antarticus, Hamiltoni, Ionnbergi)
Synonyms : Catharacta antarctica

Conservation Status by IUCN:

Status : Least Concern

Has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as evaluated but not qualified for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or (prior to 2001) conservation dependent.

Philatelic Issues

2008 – Uruguay – Stamp 1 of 2, from Spring Series

Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: October 7th, 2008
Printed: 10.000 Copies
Type: Stamp from Series of 2 Stamps
Value:UYP 20

Stamp: Rectangular
Size: 35 mm. x 22 mm.
Perforation: Circular
Gum: Water Activated

ANIMALS – BIRDS – SEABIRDS – AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER (HAEMATOPUS PALLIATUS)

Animals - Birds - Seabirds

American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus)

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Order : Charadriiformes
Family :Haematopodidae
Genus : Haematopus
Species : H. Palliatus

Description:

The American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus), occasionally called the American pied oystercatcher, is a member of family Haematopodidae. The bird is marked by its black and white body and a long, thick orange beak. This shorebird is approximately 19 inches (42 – 52 cm) in length.

The American oystercatcher has distinctive black and white plumage and a long, bright orange beak. The head and breast are black and the back, wings and tail greyish-black. The underparts are white, as are feathers on the inner part of the wing which become visible during flight. The irises are yellow and the eyes have orange orbital rings. The legs are pink. Adults are about 19 inches (480 mm) in length.

The American oystercatcher is found on the Atlantic coast of North America from New England to northern Florida, where it is also found on the Gulf coast, and south to Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. It is found also in the Pacific coast of California, Mexico, Central America, Peru, and Chile. In the 19th century they became locally extinct in the northeast of the United States due to market hunting and egg collecting. After receiving protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, their range extended northward to re-occupy historical habitat in New England.

Oystercatchers are closely tied to coastal habitats. They nest on beaches on coastal islands and feed on marine invertebrates. The large, heavy beak is used to pry open bivalve mollusks. Oystercatchers raise a clutch of two or three eggs. In winter, they are found in flocks along the coast from central New Jersey to the Gulf of Mexico.

Binomial Name:

Name : Haematopus palliatus
Taxonomist : Coenraad Jacob Temminck (Amsterdam - Netherlands)
Year : 1820
Subspecies : None or not data available
Synonyms : None or not data available

Conservation Status by IUCN:

Status :Least Concern

Has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as evaluated but not qualified for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or (prior to 2001) conservation dependent.

Philatelic Issues

2011 – Uruguay – Unique Stamp, from “Isla de Flores” National Park Series

Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: November 16th, 2011
Printed: 15.000 copies
Type : Unique Stamp from Series
Value : UYP 12

Stamp : Rectangular
Size: 47 mm. x 32 mm.
Perforation: Circular
Gum: Water Activated

ANIMALS – BIRDS – SEABIRDS – KELP GULL (LARUS DOMINICANUS)

Animals - Birds - Seabirds

Kelp gull (Larus dominicanus)

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Order : Charadriiformes
Family :Laridae
Genus : Larus
Species : L. Dominicanus

Description:

The Kelp gull(Larus dominicanus), also known as the Dominican gull, is a gullwhich breeds on coasts and islands through much of the southern hemisphere. The nominate L. d. dominicanus is the subspecies found around South America, parts of Australia (where it overlaps with the Pacific gull), and New Zealand (where it is known as the southern black-backed gull or by its Māori name karoro). L. d. vetula (known as the Cape gull) is a subspecies occurring around southern Africa.

The specific name comes from theDominican Order of friars, who wear black and white habits.

The kelp gull superficially resembles two gulls from further north in the Atlantic Ocean, the lesser black-backed gull and the great black-backed gull and is intermediate in size between these two species. This species ranges from 54 to 65 cm (21 to 26 in) in total length, from 128 to 142 cm (50 to 56 in) in wingspan and from 540 to 1,390 g (1.19 to 3.06 lb) in weight. Adult males and females weigh on average 1,000 g (2.2 lb) and 900 g (2.0 lb) respectively. Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 37.3 to 44.8 cm (14.7 to 17.6 in), the bill is 4.4 to 5.9 cm (1.7 to 2.3 in) and the tarsus is 5.3 to 7.5 cm (2.1 to 3.0 in). The adult kelp gull has black upperparts and wings. The head, underparts, tail, and the small "mirrors" at the wing tips are white. The bill is yellow with a red spot, and the legs are greenish-yellow (brighter and yellower when breeding, duller and greener when not breeding). The call is a strident ki-och. Juveniles have dull legs, a black bill, a dark band in the tail, and an overall grey-brown plumage densely edged whitish, but they rapidly get a pale base to the bill and largely white head and underparts. They take three or four years to reach maturity.

Binomial Name:

Name : Larus dominicanus
Taxonomist : Martin Hinrich Carl Lichtenstein (Hamburg - Germany)
Year : 1823
Subspecies : 5 (Dominicanus, Vetula, Judithae, Melisandae, Austrinus)
Synonyms : None or not data available

Conservation Status by IUCN:

Status :Least Concern

Has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as evaluated but not qualified for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or (prior to 2001) conservation dependent.

Philatelic Issues

2011 – Uruguay – Unique Stamp, from “Isla de Flores” National Park Series

Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: November 16th, 2011
Printed: 15.000 copies
Type : Unique Stamp from Series
Value : UYP 12

Stamp : Rectangular
Size: 47 mm. x 32 mm.
Perforation: Circular
Gum: Water Activated

ANIMALS – BIRDS – SEABIRDS – RUFOUS-CHESTED PLOVER (CHARADRIUS MODESTUS)

Animals - Birds - Seabirds

Rufous-Chested Plover (Charadrius modestus)

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Order : Charadriiformes
Family :Charadriidae
Genus : Charadrius
Species : C. Modestus

Description:

The Rufous-chested ploveror Rufous-chested dotterel (Charadrius modestus) is a species of bird in the Charadriidae family. It breeds in southern parts of Argentina and Chile and on the Falkland Islands. Some birds migrate north in winter, reaching as far as Uruguay, southern Brazil and occasionally Peru. Its natural habitats are temperate grassland and sandy shores.

Binomial Name:

Name : Charadrius modestus
Taxonomist : Martin Hinrich Carl Lichtenstein (Hamburg - Germany)
Year : 1823
Subspecies : None or not data available
Synonyms : None or not data available

Conservation Status by IUCN:

Status :Least Concern

Has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as evaluated but not qualified for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or (prior to 2001) conservation dependent.

Philatelic Issues

2015 - Uruguay - Stamp 2 of 4, from Spring Series

Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: August 31st, 2012
Printed: 15.000 Copies
Type: Stamp from Series of 4 Stamps
Value: UYP 12

Stamp: Rectangular
Size: 39 mm. x 27 mm.
Perforation: Circular
Gum: Water Activated

ANIMALS – BIRDS – SEABIRDS - RED KNOT (CALIDRIS CANUTUS)

Animals - Birds - Seabirds

Red Knot (Calidris canutus)

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Order : Charadriiformes
Family :Scolopacidae
Genus : Calidris
Species : C. Canutus

Description:

The Red knot(Calidris canutus) (just knotin Europe) is amedium-sized shorebird which breeds in tundra and the Arctic Cordillera in the far north of Canada, Europe, and Russia. It is a large member of the Calidris sandpipers, second only to the great knot. Six subspecies are recognised.

Their diet varies according to season; arthropods and larvae are the preferred food items at the breeding grounds, while various hard-shelled molluscs are consumed at other feeding sites at other times. North American breeders migrate to coastal areas in Europe and South America, while the Eurasian populations winter in Africa, Papua New Guinea, Australia, and New Zealand. This species forms enormous flocks when not breeding.

This Red Knot was first described by Linnaeus in the landmark 1758 tenth edition of his Systema Naturae as Tringa canutus. One theory is that it gets its name and species epithet from King Canute, Knot being another form of Canute; the name would refer to the knot's foraging along the tide line and the story of Canute and the tide. Another etymology is that the name is onomatopoeic, based on the bird's grunting call note.

Binomial Name:

Name : Calidris canutus
Taxonomist : Carl Linnaeus (Småland - Sweden)
Year : 1758
Subspecies : 6 (Roselaari, Rufa, Canutus, Islandica, Rogersi, Piersmai)
Synonyms : Tringa canutus

Conservation Status by IUCN:

Status :Least Concern

Has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as evaluated but not qualified for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or (prior to 2001) conservation dependent.

Philatelic Issues

2013 – Uruguay – Stamp 1 of 2, from Tourist Sites:Atlantic Coastline Series

Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: December 4th, 2015
Printed: 15.000 Copies
Type: Stamp from Series of 2 Stamps
Value: UYP 15

Stamp: Rectangular
Size: 27 mm. x 39 mm.
Perforation: Circular
Gum: Water Activated

ANIMALS - BIRDS - SEABIRDS - BLACK SKIMMER (RYNCHOPS NIGER)

Animals - Birds - Seabirds

Black skimmer (Rynchops niger)

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Order : Charadriiformes
Family :Rynchopidae
Genus : Rynchops
Species : R. Niger

Description:

The Black skimmer(Rynchops niger) is a tern-like seabird, one of three very similar birds species in the skimmer family. It breeds in North and South America. Northern populations winter in the warmer waters of the Caribbean and the tropical and subtropical Pacific coasts, but the South American races make only shorter movements in response to annual floods which extend their feeding areas in the river shallows.

The black skimmer is the largest of the three skimmer species. It measures 40–50 cm (16–20 in) long with a 107–127 cm (42–50 in) wingspan. This species ranges from 212 to 447 g (7.5 to 15.8 oz), with males averaging about 349 g (12.3 oz), as compared to the smaller female’s 254 g (9.0 oz).[3] The basal half of the bill is red, the rest mainly black, and the lower mandible is much-elongated. The eye has a dark brown iris and catlike vertical pupil, unique for a bird. The legs are red. The call is a barking kak-kak-kak.

Adults in breeding plumage have a black crown, nape and upper body. The forehead and underparts are white. The upper wings are black with white on the rear edge, and the tail and rump are dark grey with white edges. The underwing colour varies from white to dusky grey depending on region.

Non-breeding adults have paler and browner upperparts, and a white nape collar. Immature birds have brown upperparts with white feather tips and fringes. The underparts and forehead are white and the underwings as the adult.

Binomial Name:

Name : Rynchops niger
Taxonomist : Carl Linnaeus (Småland - Sweden)
Year : 1758
Subspecies : 3 (Niger, Cinerescens, Intercedens)
Synonyms : None or not data available

Conservation Status by IUCN:

Status :Least Concern

Has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as evaluated but not qualified for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or (prior to 2001) conservation dependent.

Philatelic Issues

2015 - Uruguay - Stamp 2 of 10, from Wetland Animals Series

Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: June 5th, 2015
Printed: 10.000 Copies
Type: Stamp from Series of 10 Stamps
Value: UYP 15

Stamp: Rectangular
Size: 39 mm. x 27 mm.
Perforation: Circular
Gum: Water Activated