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#3223
1998 32c Tropical Birds: Green-Throated Carib
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US #3223
1998 Green-throated Carib
- Part of set of 4 picturing birds native to islands belonging to US
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Tropical Birds
Value: 32¢, First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: July 29, 2998
First Day City: Ponce, Puerto Rico
Quantity Issued: 17,500,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, Microprint
Format: Pane of 20
Perforations: 11.2
Why the stamp was issued: This stamp is part of a set of four featuring a popular stamp subject – birds. These species are from tropical areas with strong relationships to the US.
About the stamp design: Artist Robert Giusti was the talent behind the illustrations of tropical birds shown on these stamps. The Green-throated Carib is shown sipping nectar from a coral plant. Giusti’s paintings had previously been featured on definitive stamps and the 1992 Wild Animals stamps.
Special design details: Each stamp has a microprinted “USPS” included in the design. On this stamp, it can be found under the wing in the forefront of the design.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at the Pontifica Universidad Catolica Amphitheatre in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Two of the bird species are native to this US territory.
About the Tropical Birds set: This four-stamp se-tenant features tropical birds that are native to the islands belonging to the United States. The Antillean Euphonia resides in the thick mountain forests of Puerto Rico. The Green-throated Carib is also found in Puerto Rico, but along the northeast coast. The Crested Honeycreeper is an endangered species from the rain forests of Maui, and the Cardinal Honeyeater lives on the South Pacific island of Samoa. [Quick overview of the set/other stamps included in it, may link to other stamps/the complete set at the end. General story of the set/other stamps included in it, may link to other stamps/the complete set at the end.]
History these stamps represent: A member of the hummingbird family Trochilidae, the Green-throated Carib can be found on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico. Birds of this group are among the world’s smallest and most beautifully colored. Many were named according to their bright plumage, including the Carib.
The Carib’s bill is long and curved downward to allow the bird to extract nectar from flowers. Its feathers look scale-like and iridescent. On many birds, these shiny colors appear to be arranged in patterns. The metallic brilliance and variety of tints of hummingbird plumage is unrivaled by any other group of birds.
In addition to the humming noise created by the beating of their wings, the birds also make a variety of vocal sounds. Considered the fastest of all birds, the smallest of hummingbirds can beat their wings 50 times each second. That number decreases in proportion to size. They can also hover and remain stationary in the air and are the only birds who can fly backwards.
Because of their high metabolism rate, Caribs spend the daylight hours darting around, restlessly searching for food. At night, they perch quietly on a twig. Bold and aggressive, the Caribs live a mostly solitary existence, rarely tolerating intruders.
US #3223
1998 Green-throated Carib
- Part of set of 4 picturing birds native to islands belonging to US
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Tropical Birds
Value: 32¢, First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: July 29, 2998
First Day City: Ponce, Puerto Rico
Quantity Issued: 17,500,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, Microprint
Format: Pane of 20
Perforations: 11.2
Why the stamp was issued: This stamp is part of a set of four featuring a popular stamp subject – birds. These species are from tropical areas with strong relationships to the US.
About the stamp design: Artist Robert Giusti was the talent behind the illustrations of tropical birds shown on these stamps. The Green-throated Carib is shown sipping nectar from a coral plant. Giusti’s paintings had previously been featured on definitive stamps and the 1992 Wild Animals stamps.
Special design details: Each stamp has a microprinted “USPS” included in the design. On this stamp, it can be found under the wing in the forefront of the design.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at the Pontifica Universidad Catolica Amphitheatre in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Two of the bird species are native to this US territory.
About the Tropical Birds set: This four-stamp se-tenant features tropical birds that are native to the islands belonging to the United States. The Antillean Euphonia resides in the thick mountain forests of Puerto Rico. The Green-throated Carib is also found in Puerto Rico, but along the northeast coast. The Crested Honeycreeper is an endangered species from the rain forests of Maui, and the Cardinal Honeyeater lives on the South Pacific island of Samoa. [Quick overview of the set/other stamps included in it, may link to other stamps/the complete set at the end. General story of the set/other stamps included in it, may link to other stamps/the complete set at the end.]
History these stamps represent: A member of the hummingbird family Trochilidae, the Green-throated Carib can be found on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico. Birds of this group are among the world’s smallest and most beautifully colored. Many were named according to their bright plumage, including the Carib.
The Carib’s bill is long and curved downward to allow the bird to extract nectar from flowers. Its feathers look scale-like and iridescent. On many birds, these shiny colors appear to be arranged in patterns. The metallic brilliance and variety of tints of hummingbird plumage is unrivaled by any other group of birds.
In addition to the humming noise created by the beating of their wings, the birds also make a variety of vocal sounds. Considered the fastest of all birds, the smallest of hummingbirds can beat their wings 50 times each second. That number decreases in proportion to size. They can also hover and remain stationary in the air and are the only birds who can fly backwards.
Because of their high metabolism rate, Caribs spend the daylight hours darting around, restlessly searching for food. At night, they perch quietly on a twig. Bold and aggressive, the Caribs live a mostly solitary existence, rarely tolerating intruders.
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