澳大利亞於2001年8月9日發行Desert Birds郵票

雜色細尾鷯鶯 Variegated Fairy-wren (Malurus lamberti)

       This colourful little bird is the most widespread of the fairy-wrens and is found in diverse habitats throughout Australia.

       Variegated Fairy-wrens are distinguished by the breeding males?vivid blue to purple heads and backs. Because of their markings they need a moderately dense shrubby habitat, which in more arid areas is often confined along stream lines. They live in small family groups that maintain permanent territories. The stamp shows a male bird in breeding plumage.

彩火尾雀 Painted Firetail (Emblema pictum)

       These birds take their name from the vivid red markings on the upper tail, face, throat and belly of the male bird. The female is red only about the bill with a small scarlet patch on the belly.

       Painted Firetails are sedentary (not nomadic) and live along gorges and within stony, spinifex and acacia hills throughout northern inland Australia. These birds are not particularly gregarious and live in small groups of 5-30 birds on permanent waterholes. The stamp features two male birds.

緋紅澳鵖 Crimson Chat (Epthianura tricolor)

       This nomadic bird follows the erratic rains throughout the arid regions that supply its food. It travels in flocks, flying in a swift, quirky manner common to all chats, and prefers well-shrubbed acacia, spinifex, mallee and mulga scrub habitats.

       Females and non-breeding males are dull in colour. Males assume their characteristic vivid red crowns and breasts during breeding season. A male in breeding plumage, feeding young, is featured on the stamp.

虎皮鸚鵡 Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus)

       The garrulous, gregarious Budgerigar is found throughout the dry interior of Australia. This small green-yellow parrot prefers a habitat of sparsely timbered grasslands, mallee, mulga and spinifex desert. Nomadic Budgerigars travel in flocks of up to 100 birds. They feed mainly on the ground, eating seeding grasses generated from recent rains.

       The Budgerigar uses trees for shelter and to roost. They can often be found in large numbers chattering in trees bordering watercourses. The Budgerigar is one of the world most popular domesticated caged birds.