Lithuania WWF FDCs

Lithuania FDCs
Name: European Roller - WWF
Date of Issue: 06 September 2008

Denomination:
1,35 Lt: European Roller perching on the branch
1,35 Lt: Flying European Roller
1,35 Lt: Twittering European Roller
1,35 Lt: European Roller with worm

European roller (Coracias garrulus) is a member of the roller family, one of the most beautiful Lithuanian birds, included into Lithuanian Red Book since 1989. Rollers are easily recognizable by their bright colours: body is teal blue, back and wings' feathers are brown and the rostrum is black. They come to Lithuania in the beginning of May and stay here till the end of August when the autumn migration of birds starts.

European rollers prefer lowland open countryside with mature pine woodland which have heathery clearings, outer woods, also homesteads with old tree groups, parks, sometimes forests of suburban areas, even alleys of the roadsides. They love sitting on dry branches. Rollers lay 3–4 eggs in the hollows made by woodpeckers, even in the nesting-boxes. The hatching lasts 18-19 days. Juveniles leave the nest after 4 weeks. Rollers feed on insects, grasshoppers, flies, and moths.

In Lithuania European rollers are rapidly becoming extinct. If this process continues as intensively as it was by now, these birds will become extinct in our country in the upcoming years.

Comment: I don't know whether the official FDC is a pre-cancelled FDC, do you find out? 2 upper stamps were not cancelled by special cancellation.