01-05-2009

Silver-beaked tanager bird inland rate stamp (minisize)




FIRST PRINT VALUE OF 50 c for INLAND MAIL IN SHEET OF 100


The Silver-beaked tanager is a member of a typical American family of birds (the Tanagers) with many brightly colored birds. The male of this tanager has a beautifull deep red color (maroon-crimson) and a silver-colored beak (first photo), the female is less conspiciously red as in the second one. They often fly around in groups of six to ten birds, making a lot of noise, calling their Surinamese name 'kin', pronounced as 'tjeeng'. All day they are searching for fruit and insects in the bushes. Their nest has the form of a cup, has often 2 to 3 eggs and can be found in the same bushes. After about twelve days the young hatch and after again twelve days they can fly. The silver-beaked tanager has no specific breeding season in Suriname. All year long nests can be found, more of them in the rainy season. Except calling, they can also sing nicely, this they do often early in the morning.The first two pictures (male and female) were made by Louis des Tombe in October 2007, below is a photo of two young males, one changing from juvenile to adult, made by Leo Olmtak (November 2008) and then follows a male from Candy McManiman made in Suriname in 2005. A beautiful picture of the three most common birds in Suriname, Silver-beaked and Blue-gray Tanager and Great Kiskadee, eating in the garden, comes from Leo Olmtak in Paramaribo.
The silver-beaked tanager is the most common bird in Suriname, it is the one most reported the last 60 years