PORTLAND, OR — The U.S. Postal Service celebrated four birds that brighten cold winter days today by dedicating the Songbirds in Snow Forever stamps at the American Philatelic Society’s Stampshow 2016 in Portland, Ore.

One of the birds, the northern cardinal, is the state bird for Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.

The stamps are available in booklets of 20, with each of the four stamp designs repeated five times. They feature the golden-crowned kinglet (Regulus satrapa), the cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum), the northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) and the red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta canadensis). Illustrator Robert Giusti painted the original designs in acrylic on canvas board, depicting each bird perched on a snow-covered branch.

“The Postal Service has a long tradition of putting birds on stamps — to celebrate and raise awareness of these amazing creatures,” said U.S. Postal Service Vice President of Sales Cliff Rucker, the dedicating official. “And the four stamps we’re dedicating today,” he added, “are truly beautiful works of art.” 

Visit the Postal Service’s Event Calendar for information on upcoming stamp events.

Ordering First-Day-of-Issue Postmarks
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may buy new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store website at usps.com⁄shop or by calling 800-782-6724. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others) and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

Songbirds in Snow Stamps
U.S. Postal Service
ATTN: Ruth Traynor
PO Box 2089

Portland, OR 97208-2089

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by Oct. 4, 2016.

Ordering First-Day Covers
The Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog, online atusps.com⁄shop or by calling 800-782-6724. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-782-6724 or writing to:

U.S. Postal Service
Catalog Request
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014