Wood Duck

Front:
29 Wood Duck 29 Wood Duck OLUMBUS COLUR APR 12 1991 43216 Belhe OH

Back:
WOOD DUCK First Day of Issue: April 12, 1991 First Issue Location: Columbus, Ohio From flooded swamps along the mighty Mississippi to fir- scented forests in Oregon and Washington, the Wood Duck is America's singularly spectacular waterfowl. Its common name does little justice to the Wood Duck, but the scientific name is much more descriptive: Aix sponsa, “waterfowl in wedding clothes." Today, the exquisite Wood Duck is relatively common among the waterfowl. But it wasn't always so. Nearly a century ago, the Wood Duck suffered greatly as flooded timberlands and swamps were drained to make room for man's expansive ideals. The Wood Duck teetered precariously on the very brink of extinction. But man reacted to his earlier ignorance, enacting an aggressive conservation campaign. The U.S. Postal Service stamps on this Maxi- mum Card honor the Wood Duck. The stamps were printed by two different printing companies. Only four million of the stamps with red inscriptions were issued. Conversely 145 million of the black-inscribed stamps were issued. No. 91-19 ©1991 The Maximum Card Collection A division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 ® Original painting for the Maximum Card by Don Balke