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Description
Approximately 340 species of pigeons and doves (family Columbidae, order Columbiformes) are distributed almost worldwide, with strongest representation in tropical and subtropical regions. In Australia they occur in most habitats, from the dense rainforests of north Queensland to the windswept heathlands of Tasmania. This issue depicts just four of the more than 20 species of pigeons and doves native to Australia.
The stamp illustrator is Australian artist William T Cooper AO (1934–2015), who was once described by Sir David Attenborough as the best ornithological illustrator alive. Cooper illustrated many books on birds, including the definitive publication Pigeons and Doves in Australia (CSIRO Publishing, 2015) with text by his longtime collaborator, renowned ornithologist Joseph M Forshaw AM. Cooper’s beautiful illustrations for this book are reproduced, with permission, for this stamp issue.
