Austria Cover

Australia Cover
Post Marke ; 02/02/1998 - Gosford 2250 N.S.W.

1997 Wetlands Birds
Comb-Crested Jacana (Irediparra Gallinacea)
Face Value ; 45c
Michel Catalog Number ; 1641

The Comb-crested Jacana (Irediparra gallinacea), also known as the Lotusbird or Lilytrotter, is the only species of jacana in the genus Irediparra. Like other jacana species, it is adapted to the floating vegetation of tropical freshwater wetlands.Jacana is Linneus' pseudo-Latin misspelling for the Brazilian Portuguese Jaçanã (from a Tupi name of the same bird) whose pronunciation is approximately.This species is unmistakable. It has a black crown and hindneck with a fleshy red wattle covering the forehead and forecrown, contrasting with a white face and throat. There is a broad black band on the lower breast with white belly. Underwing black. Back and upperwing mainly grey-brown with black primary coverts, rump and tail. Long legs with extremely long toes. Measurements: length (male) 20-21 cm, (female) 24-27 cm; wingspan 39-46 cm; weight (male) 85 g, (female) 140 g.
It occurs in southeastern Borneo, the southern Philippines, Sulawesi, Moluccas, Lesser Sunda Islands, New Guinea, New Britania, and northern and eastern Australia. Its habitat is freshwater wetlands with abundant floating vegetation, such as water-lilies or water hyacinth, forming a mat on the water surface.It eats seeds and aquatic insects gleaned from floating vegetation or the water surface.This species gives a squeaky, high-pitched chittering.The Comb-crested Jacan is polyandrous. It builds a flimsy nest on floating or emergent vegetation, in which the female lays four lustrous, pale brown eggs covered by black markings. Only males incubate. The young hatch well-developed and soon leave the nest.

1997 Wetlands Birds
Brolga (Grus Rubicunda)
Face Value ; 45c
Michel Catalog Number ; 1643

The Brolga (Grus rubicunda), formerly known as the "Native Companion", is a bird in the crane family. The bird has also been given the name "Australian Crane", a term coined in 1865 by well-known ornithological artist John Gould.The Brolga is a common gregarious wetland bird species in tropical and eastern Australia, well known for its intricate mating dance.The full-grown Brolga is a tall, mid-grey to silver-grey crane, 0.7 to 1.3 m (3.3-4.3 feet) high, with a wingspan of 1.7 to 2.4 m (5.6 to 7.9 ft), and a broad red band extending from the straight, bone-coloured bill (15.4 lbs), females a little under 6 kg (13.2 lbs).Brolgas are widespread and often abundant in north and north-east Australia, especially north-east Queensland, and are common as far south as Victoria. They are also found in southern New Guinea and as rare vagrants in New Zealand. The population is estimated at between 20,000 and 100,000. The International Crane Foundation began a captive breeding population with three pairs of wild Brolga which were captured in 1972. Brolga are non-migratory but do move in response to seasonal rains.Brolga are omnivorous and eat a variety of wetland plants, insects, invertebrates, and small vertebrates such as frogs. They also eat wetland and upland plants, seeds, molluks, and crustaceans. Northern Austalian populations of Brolga are fond of the tubers sedge which they dig holes to extract but this is not available south of Brisbane.