Papua New Guinea Bowerbirds

PNG post will issue a set of stamps and a souviner sheet featuring Bower birds found in Papua New Guinea.

The bird life of New Guinea is almost unparalleled in its beauty and diversity. It represents a source of constant interest, whether to the first- time visitor to the island, the scientist or the national citizen.

5t – Macgregor’s Bowerbird – (Amblyornis macgregoriae)
K1.00 – Flame Bowerbird (Sericulus aureus)
K4.65 – - Archbolds’Bowerbird (Archboldia papuensis)
K6.30 – Adelbert Regent Bowerbird (Sericulus bakeri)

Probably nowhere else in the world is the relationship between people and birds are as close and intricate as that found on New Guinea where birds are a vital part of the numerous national cultures.

With more than 650 species, New Guinea supports nearly one tenth of the world’s bird. In any one area, there may be between 100 and 150 species. Also New Guinea is best known for the Birds of Paradise where 39 of the 43 species inhabit the Island and its satellite islands.

K1.00 – Flame Bowerbird (Sericulus aureus)
K3.00 – Yellow fronted Gardener Bowerbird (Amblyornis flavifrons)
K4.65 – Vagelkop Gardener Bowerbird (Amblyornis inornatus)
K6.30 – Lauterbach’s Bowerbird (Chlamydera Lauterbachi)

Among them is the most distinctive group of birds known as the Bowerbirds. They vary from others in genus, feathers and wing shape. Most of the Bowerbirds are polygamous and have different courtship behaviors. They inhabit the mountain forests of New Guinea Island from sea level of 700m to 3000m.

Bowerbirds are famous for their behavior of building and decoration display sites, called bowers on the ground. Bowers are structures of interwoven sticks with side walls up with 25cm to 3m high. They vary in architecture among species, from a broad mat of twigs to huge stick domes embellished with landscape gardens.

Title: Papua New Guinea Bowerbirds
Date of Issue: 4 August 2010
Country: Papua New Guinea
Denominations: 5t, K1.00, K4.65, K6.30