Pangolins
Pangolins have gained an unfortunate fame in recent years as being the most-trafficked wild
animals in the world. Namibia’s pangolin population is not immune.
Crakes
Bird stamps continue to feature prominently in our releases because Namibia is blessed
with a diverse and exciting avifauna – and because birds, with their attractive looks and gift
of flight, continue to inspire people all over the world.
Wild Pigs
Pigs are a central part of our domestic stock and people have had a close association with
these animals for a long time.
Sengis
In a country with impressive megafauna including lions, elephants, giraffes, and rhinos,
and stunning birdlife from ostriches to kingfishers, small animals are often overlooked.
Hedgehogs
Our final stamp issue for 2023 features the hedgehog, one of Namibia’s many small but
fascinating mammals.
Hawks
The hawks occurring in Namibia can be divided into the chanting goshawks (with three species) and the accipiters (with five species).
Download Hawks of Namibia
Lapwings
Birds live all around us, even in cities and towns – but often go unnoticed. Lapwings
(formerly known as plovers) are common but distinctive waders found at dams or other
wetlands, as well as on short grasslands – and sometimes urban lawns.
Lily
Namibia is known for its diverse range of habitats from Namib sand dunes to Zambezi
wetlands.
SNIPES
Snipes are cryptically coloured, secretive birds that mostly go unnoticed. They are also astounding voyagers – an individual was recorded covering 7,000 kilometres in three-and-a-half days.
BARLERIA FLOWERS
The genus Baleria consists mostly of subshrubs and herbs. Around 30 species occur in Namibia. Many of them are endemic and occur nowhere else on Earth.
MUSTELIDS
Mustelids are members of the weasel family, characterised by a long body with short legs, as well as scent glands under the tail. They live in a variety of habitats and include aquatic species such as otters.
Squirrels
The richness of Namibia’s fauna is not limited to large creatures. Some of the smaller, less
conspicuous animals are often overlooked – even though they might be quite common.
Four species of squirrel occur in Namibia, although many know only the most widespread,
the South African ground squirrel. Enjoy learning about the others by collecting the stamps.
Woodpeckers
Woodpeckers are widespread around the world, occurring on most continents. Yet southern
Africa’s woodpeckers have seldom appeared on stamps – and never on Namibian stamps.
Five species occur in our country, and we’ve decided to depict all of them in this issue.
Batises
If you were asked, ‘What is a batis?’ would you be able to answer that it may also refer to
a type of beautiful small bird, and that two species of batis occur in Namibia? We present
them to you in our August stamp release – so now you have that answer ready.
Kites
With their habit of hovering in one place while searching for prey, kites are particularly
fascinating. They have motivated us to build our own kites on strings, which we dispatch
into the sky to soar and hover on the wind – in a similar manner to the birds that inspired
them.
The year 2019 offers another selection of beautiful Namibian stamps: It’s been mostly forgotten that Walvis Bay was named after the once-prolific whales in our waters. The six whale stamps celebrate a selection of the threatened mariners – some of which are making a comeback in the Atlantic. Cuckoos are fascinating birds that don’t raise their own young, but rather sneak their eggs into the nests of others – weird and wonderful nature. Africa’s large cats are universally celebrated; in Namibia they occur in healthy numbers in unique environments – and keep surprising us with their adaptability... Delightful stamps celebrating not just our stunning biodiversity, but also our country’s conservation successes. Enjoy collecting them – and learning about our natural heritage!
Whales of Namibia
Whales are the largest animals on Earth: The famous blue whale can weigh as much as 50 adult elephants! But there are also many small, little-known whales, and quite a few of them occur in the nutrient-rich waters of the Benguela Current along the Namibian coast.
Cuckoos of Namibia
Cuckoos are brood parasites – they lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species, fooling these into raising the cuckoo chicks. This may lead to incredible scenarios, when for example a red-eyed bulbul feeds a jacobin cuckoo chick that is several times the size of the adult bulbul.
Large Felines of Namibia
With their tremendous power, stealth and speed, the big cats of Africa are fascinating and frightening in equal parts. Modern scientific study and a wealth of imagery recorded by tourists, naturalists and remote camera traps are showing us forever new aspects of the complex lives of these wonderful predators.
From Ox-Wagon to Airplane in Namibia
Transport and travel are fundamental to our modern existence,
and have shown an incredible transformation over the last century. The ox wagon first came to Namibia around two hundred years ago. While oxen, donkeys and horses are still used to pull carts and sand sleds across parts of rural Namibia today, tourists now explore our country’s wonderful places in four-wheel-drives and charter airplanes.
Download From Ox-Wagon to Airplane in Namibia
Francolins and Spurfowl of Namibia
Francolins are found across most of central and northern Namibia, yet few people know that there are half a dozen different species, each locally common in ideal habitat in different parts of the country. Many are extremely well-camouflaged and often overlooked. Spurfowl is just another name used for some francolin species.
Download Francolins and Spurfowl of Namibia
Small Felines of Namibia
For many millennia, the grace, the agility and the playful nature of cats have fascinated, charmed and inspired us. While Namibia’s large cats – the lion, the leopard and the cheetah – are
universally celebrated and admired, our four small felines are known mostly to farmers and conservationists.
Download Small Felines of Namibia
Whales of Namibia
