Living beings

Click here for other design errors


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Happy bird !
Free as a bird ! At least the yellow one that was drawn outside the cage !


GERMANY 1959



Loving birds !
According to specialists, the two birds on this stamp are male. Not exactly a good illustration for a perfect royal wedding !


NETHERLANDS ANTILLES 1966



Inverted order
The female bird (with dark feathers) is always preceeding the male (correct on the American stamp)


ALAND 1987



Space condor
A condor on top of the Aconcagua mountain, at more than 7.000 m above sealevel ? Impossible.


ARGENTINA



Sky bird
A condor on the top of the Illimani mountain, at more than 7.000 m above sealevel ? Impossible.


BOLIVIA 1925



Sleepless seagulls.
Seagulls do not fly in the night !


FINLAND 1946



Wrong colours.
As the colours of the BURONG Siul bird were unreal, a new stamp with the correct colours was issued.


MALAYSIA 1965



Wrong choice.
Any bird would have been suitable to illustrate airmailstamps, but not the ostrich, the only bird that cannot fly.


MAURITANIA 1988



Wrong choice
Probably not such a good idea to illustrate aan airletter with an ostrich, the only bird which cannot fly !


SOUTH WEST AFRICA 1957



Black Swan
The well-known 1d stamp of 1860 shows the State symbol, the Black Swan. But the bird is missing the white underwings of a true black swan, shown correctly on later issues


AUSTRALIA 1860



Missing claws
In this position, the claws of this Gyrfalcon should have been visible.


SWEDEN 1981



Wrong birds
These white crane stamps shows in fact storks : a white crane has a small, upward positioned hind claw and a short beak.


CHINA 1986



One too much
This bird has only three toes on each foot.


FEROE 1978



Wrong bird
Instead of the Southern Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria) which is highly endangered and has the be protected, the stamp shows the very common Northern Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria altifrons) with black throat and breast.


GERMANY 1976



Confusion
The Canada goose's scientific name is Branta canadensis. The stamp however says it is a Barnacle goose which scientific name is Branta leucopsis


HUNGARY 1964



Wrong bird
This is not the bald eagle, but the Shrieking sea eagle. Correct on the Swedish stamp


HUNGARY 1962



Wrong name
Wrong : Chloris chloris - Correct : Carduelis Chloris


SAHARAUI 1997



Not the correct dove
The dove has sonce long been an international symbol symbol of peace, but this birds howeverf, are not doves, but Trumpeter pigeons.


POLAND 1950



Made up
As the female Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) does not differ from the male bird, one of those stamps has to be a 'made up'.


YUGOSLAVIA 1985



Wrong name
Wrong : Francolinus Stephenson - Correct : Francolinus Stephens. The prominent leg spurs have also been omitted.


VIET NAM 1963



Wrong color
The Kingfisher should have a greenish blue plumage, not a deep blue. See other stamp.


SWITZERLAND 1966



Wrong bird
This is not a Columbia Jays, according to the painting of Audubon, but a Collie's Magpie Jays from Mexico.


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1963



Colour shift
Due to a colour shift, this robin (red-breast) looks more like an 'orange-breast' !


NORWAY 1982



Gravitation
Wrong illustration of solidarity, as without fixed supports, all the birds will crash.


FRANCE 1992



Not correct
The eagle owl (Bubu bubo) lays her eggs directly on the rocks, without nest, and the ears are not yet developed on the new born young owls.


SWEDEN 1989



Wrong tail
Robins have a brown tail without white stripes


SAN MARINO 1960