Zoom the image with the mouse
#3050
1998 20c Flora & Fauna Series: Ring-necked Pheasant, Perf. 11.25
$1.00
Share:
US #3050
1998 Ring-Necked Pheasant
- Part of the Flora and Fauna series
- Same image was used for booklet and coil formats
- Covered the Postcard rate
Stamp Category: Definitive
Set: Flora and Fauna
Value: 20¢, Postcard rate
First Day of Issue: July 31, 1998
First Day City: Somerset, New Jersey
Quantity Issued: 300,000,000
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Photogravure
Format: Booklet Pane of 10
Perforations: 9.8, simulated die cut
Why the stamp was issued: This stamp replaced the 20 Blue Jay that had been issued in 1996.
About the stamp design: Robert Giusti was asked by the Postal Service to create several wildlife paintings. The ring-necked pheasant was one of those paintings.
First Day City: No official First Day ceremony was held by the USPS, but the organizers of Americover 98 held a ceremony. This gathering was the 43rd annual meeting of the American First Day Cover Society, and it took place in Somerset, New Jersey.
About the Flora and Fauna series:
The Flora and Fauna stamps picture plants and animals found in the United States. The definitives were originally called the “Wildlife” series, which replaced the Great Americans series. The first stamp in the series was the $2 Bobcat issued in June 1990. The first time the term “Flora and Fauna” was used for the series was nine years later, when the Red-Headed Woodpecker stamp was used.
The series contained 36 face-different stamps. The flora stamps pictured flowers, berries, fruit, and a pinecone. The fauna stamps mostly depicted birds but also included four-footed animals, a honeybee, and a sunfish. The final stamps in the series were issued in 2001.
History the stamp represents: One of the world’s most beautiful ornamental birds, the Ring-necked Pheasant originated in China. Introduced in England in the 18th century and the entire European continent in the 19th century, this spectacular gamebird arrived in North America in the 1880s. Known for its brilliant plumage, the male Ring-necked Pheasant displays a long pointed cross-barred tail and an iridescent green head that presents a striking contrast with its white neck ring. This bird is also characterized by distinct ear tufts and bright red face wattles.
The female is smaller with a shorter tail. Her sandy brown plumage provided camouflage when nesting. A stock bird with short, rounded wings, the pheasant inhabits open woodlands, fields, meadows, and pastures, preferring area of dense thickets and brushy cover. This ground-dwelling bird spends most of its time scratching for acorns, hazelnuts, berries, seeds, leaves, grains, vegetables, and insects. Although the pheasant is not capable of sustained flight, it takes off quickly from dense cover when started to seek another sheltered area.
In breeding season, the male exhibits a remarkable courtship display and acquires a harem of about three hens. The grass-lined ground nest holds about 10 eggs that hatch in 3 to 4 weeks. The chicks are capable of flight about two weeks after hatching. The hen and brood remain in the male’s territory until the young are half grown.
US #3050
1998 Ring-Necked Pheasant
- Part of the Flora and Fauna series
- Same image was used for booklet and coil formats
- Covered the Postcard rate
Stamp Category: Definitive
Set: Flora and Fauna
Value: 20¢, Postcard rate
First Day of Issue: July 31, 1998
First Day City: Somerset, New Jersey
Quantity Issued: 300,000,000
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Photogravure
Format: Booklet Pane of 10
Perforations: 9.8, simulated die cut
Why the stamp was issued: This stamp replaced the 20 Blue Jay that had been issued in 1996.
About the stamp design: Robert Giusti was asked by the Postal Service to create several wildlife paintings. The ring-necked pheasant was one of those paintings.
First Day City: No official First Day ceremony was held by the USPS, but the organizers of Americover 98 held a ceremony. This gathering was the 43rd annual meeting of the American First Day Cover Society, and it took place in Somerset, New Jersey.
About the Flora and Fauna series:
The Flora and Fauna stamps picture plants and animals found in the United States. The definitives were originally called the “Wildlife” series, which replaced the Great Americans series. The first stamp in the series was the $2 Bobcat issued in June 1990. The first time the term “Flora and Fauna” was used for the series was nine years later, when the Red-Headed Woodpecker stamp was used.
The series contained 36 face-different stamps. The flora stamps pictured flowers, berries, fruit, and a pinecone. The fauna stamps mostly depicted birds but also included four-footed animals, a honeybee, and a sunfish. The final stamps in the series were issued in 2001.
History the stamp represents: One of the world’s most beautiful ornamental birds, the Ring-necked Pheasant originated in China. Introduced in England in the 18th century and the entire European continent in the 19th century, this spectacular gamebird arrived in North America in the 1880s. Known for its brilliant plumage, the male Ring-necked Pheasant displays a long pointed cross-barred tail and an iridescent green head that presents a striking contrast with its white neck ring. This bird is also characterized by distinct ear tufts and bright red face wattles.
The female is smaller with a shorter tail. Her sandy brown plumage provided camouflage when nesting. A stock bird with short, rounded wings, the pheasant inhabits open woodlands, fields, meadows, and pastures, preferring area of dense thickets and brushy cover. This ground-dwelling bird spends most of its time scratching for acorns, hazelnuts, berries, seeds, leaves, grains, vegetables, and insects. Although the pheasant is not capable of sustained flight, it takes off quickly from dense cover when started to seek another sheltered area.
In breeding season, the male exhibits a remarkable courtship display and acquires a harem of about three hens. The grass-lined ground nest holds about 10 eggs that hatch in 3 to 4 weeks. The chicks are capable of flight about two weeks after hatching. The hen and brood remain in the male’s territory until the young are half grown.
Related Items
Most Orders Ship
within 1 Business Day
90 Day Return Policy
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Earn Reward Points
for FREE Stamps & More