Massena's Lorikeet

Massena's Lorikeet (馬仙納氏吸蜜鸚鵡)
Vanuatu (2011)
23th August, 2011. Port Vila

After a year, Vanuatu Post issues again WWF series to commemorate 50th anniversary of the organisation, which found in 1951. This time features beautiful and attractive Massena's Lorikeet in strip of 4 format. The species not new to Vanuatu stamps but in first time to use illustration style to produce stamps.

Massena's Lorikeet is a sub-species of Rainbow Lorikeet (彩虹吸蜜鸚鵡), this complicate species has 21 sub-species which have different features and inhabit area. For Massena's Lorikeet, it endemic to Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, and some of them rarely to Vanuatu, further south of its traditional inhabit area.

As above introduction, Massena's Lorikeet is not the first time shown on the stamps. Below aerogramme, issued couple of years features three Vanuatu domestic birds, one on the left side is Massena's Lorikeet, the imprinted postage is Eastern Reef Heron and also on the backside is Vanuatu Kingfisher, which is endemic bird of Vanuatu.

Imprinted stamp : Eastern Reef Heron (太平洋岩鷺)
Illustration : Massena's Lorikeet (馬仙納氏吸蜜鸚鵡) and
Vanuatu Kingfisher (和栗腹翡翠)
Vanuatu (2007)
23th August, 2011. Port Vila

Beach Thick-knee

Beach Stone-curlew (澳洲石鴴)
Vanuatu (2009)
25th November, 2009. Port Vila

In 2009, there have 20 of stamp sets included in WWF series, and 8 series related to birds. However due to many situations and unexpected reasons, I only ordered stamps issued by Sao Tomé e Príncipe, Malawi, North Korea and Vanuatu ; and other four will be purchased in future. In here I would show third one issued by Vanuatu, an official first day cover by Vanuatu Post. The last one, an aerogramme issued by North Korea, to be shown on early April.

Beach Stone-curlew is a large sea bird to be found in coastlines of South-east Asia and southern Pacific countries. Mostly visible from the range of the Philippines, India, Myanmar, Malaya Peninsula, Indonesia to those islands in south Pacific include Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The bird was easily to be found in above area but after the over development, the population decrease due to the damage of inhabited area. Now it listed as Threatened species in IUCN list.

Thanks Vanuatu Philatelic Bureau to send me this nice first day cover, in the meantime there have another first day cover received, which is a beautiful stamp set Frangipani (赤素馨花).