1996 32c Endangered Species: Thick-billed Parrot

# 3105b - 1996 32c Endangered Species: Thick-billed Parrot

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US #3105b
1996 Thick-billed Parrot

  • Part of set of 15 stamps picturing Endangered Species
  • Issued during National Stamp Collecting Month

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Endangered Species
Value:   32¢First-Class mail rate
First Day of Issue:  October 2, 1996
First Day City:  San Diego, California
Quantity Issued:  14,910,000
Printed by:  Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method:  Lithographed
Format:  Panes of 15 (3 across, 5 down) from printing plates of 90 (9 across, 10 down)
Perforations:  11.1 x 11

Why the stamp was issued:  The pane of 15 Endangered Species stamps was issued as part of the US Postal Service’s National Stamp Collecting Month.  The theme for 1996 was “Collect and Protect.”  The USPS hoped these stamps would appeal to children, who would then become lifelong stamp collectors. 

About the stamp design:  The stamps show photographs of 15 animal species that live in America and re threatened with extinction.  The photos were taken by James Balog.  The animals chosen for the stamps are from all major geographic areas of the US.  The Thick-billed parrot shown on the stamp was from a zoo in Fresno, California.

First Day City:  The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at the San Diego Zoo.  In 1996, the zoo was celebrating its 80th birthday.  The country of Mexico issued its own pane of endangered species stamps on the same day and took part in the First Day of Issue ceremony.  (The stamps were not a joint issue.)  In addition to honored human guests, two sea lions, an Andean condor, and a North American timber wolf were also in attendance at the celebration.

Unusual fact about the Endangered Species stamps:  The 1996 National Stamp Collecting Month was co-sponsored by the US Postal Service and the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

About the Endangered Species Set:  The species shown on the pane of Endangered Species stamps are: Black-footed Ferret, Schaus Swallowtail Butterfly, Brown Pelican, San Francisco Garter Snake, Ocelot, Gila Trout, Hawaiian Monk Seal, Thick-billed Parrot, California Condor, Wyoming Toad, Woodland Caribou, Florida manatee, Florida Panther, Piping Plover, and American Crocodile.  All of them are listed on the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. 

History this stamp represents:  At one time the piercing screeches of the thick-billed parrot could be heard throughout the Arizona wilderness.  Mining and logging however, destroyed much of the mountain pine forests on which the bird depended and eventually it could be found only in the highland forests of northern and central Mexico.
Encompassing hundreds of birds, the Arizona population was once continuous with the Mexican population.  A forest corridor of highland pines enabled the birds to travel between the two territories.  Today, much of the forestland has been destroyed, breaking the corridor.  Although the Mexican population still numbers in the thousands, there is no way for the birds to move north back into Arizona.
Between 1986 and 1989, fifty thick-billed parrots were reintroduced to the Chiricahua Mountains.  Ironically, birds confiscated from smugglers formed the core of this restoration program.  Despite setbacks from fire and drought, the program shows signs of promise.  Attempts to introduce captive-reared parrots however, have not been as successful – the birds refused to flock, leaving themselves vulnerable to attacks from predators.  Efforts now concentrate on releasing wild-caught birds and providing healthy thick-billed parrots for breeding.

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US #3105b
1996 Thick-billed Parrot

  • Part of set of 15 stamps picturing Endangered Species
  • Issued during National Stamp Collecting Month

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Endangered Species
Value:   32¢First-Class mail rate
First Day of Issue:  October 2, 1996
First Day City:  San Diego, California
Quantity Issued:  14,910,000
Printed by:  Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method:  Lithographed
Format:  Panes of 15 (3 across, 5 down) from printing plates of 90 (9 across, 10 down)
Perforations:  11.1 x 11

Why the stamp was issued:  The pane of 15 Endangered Species stamps was issued as part of the US Postal Service’s National Stamp Collecting Month.  The theme for 1996 was “Collect and Protect.”  The USPS hoped these stamps would appeal to children, who would then become lifelong stamp collectors. 

About the stamp design:  The stamps show photographs of 15 animal species that live in America and re threatened with extinction.  The photos were taken by James Balog.  The animals chosen for the stamps are from all major geographic areas of the US.  The Thick-billed parrot shown on the stamp was from a zoo in Fresno, California.

First Day City:  The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at the San Diego Zoo.  In 1996, the zoo was celebrating its 80th birthday.  The country of Mexico issued its own pane of endangered species stamps on the same day and took part in the First Day of Issue ceremony.  (The stamps were not a joint issue.)  In addition to honored human guests, two sea lions, an Andean condor, and a North American timber wolf were also in attendance at the celebration.

Unusual fact about the Endangered Species stamps:  The 1996 National Stamp Collecting Month was co-sponsored by the US Postal Service and the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

About the Endangered Species Set:  The species shown on the pane of Endangered Species stamps are: Black-footed Ferret, Schaus Swallowtail Butterfly, Brown Pelican, San Francisco Garter Snake, Ocelot, Gila Trout, Hawaiian Monk Seal, Thick-billed Parrot, California Condor, Wyoming Toad, Woodland Caribou, Florida manatee, Florida Panther, Piping Plover, and American Crocodile.  All of them are listed on the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. 

History this stamp represents:  At one time the piercing screeches of the thick-billed parrot could be heard throughout the Arizona wilderness.  Mining and logging however, destroyed much of the mountain pine forests on which the bird depended and eventually it could be found only in the highland forests of northern and central Mexico.
Encompassing hundreds of birds, the Arizona population was once continuous with the Mexican population.  A forest corridor of highland pines enabled the birds to travel between the two territories.  Today, much of the forestland has been destroyed, breaking the corridor.  Although the Mexican population still numbers in the thousands, there is no way for the birds to move north back into Arizona.
Between 1986 and 1989, fifty thick-billed parrots were reintroduced to the Chiricahua Mountains.  Ironically, birds confiscated from smugglers formed the core of this restoration program.  Despite setbacks from fire and drought, the program shows signs of promise.  Attempts to introduce captive-reared parrots however, have not been as successful – the birds refused to flock, leaving themselves vulnerable to attacks from predators.  Efforts now concentrate on releasing wild-caught birds and providing healthy thick-billed parrots for breeding.