Released as part of the Fleetwood’s popular “Flora & Fauna” series, there are 6 covers to be found for the Australian 1979 Bird stamps issue. The first day of issue was 17 SEP 1979.

1c Zebra Finch

2c Crimson Finch

15c Forest Kingfisher

20c Eastern Yellow Robin

40c Lovely Wren

50c Flame Robin

These covers can be quite tough to find.

The stamps were designed by Kay Breeden-Williams. Here is some information from the Unicover website:

Kay Breeden-Williams Australian 1939 –  Born Kay Carter in 1939 in the rural hamlet of Palmwoods, located in the hinterland of Queensland, Australia, Kay Breeden Williams is regarded as one of Australia’s premier wildlife artists. During her long and distinguished career, she has created an extensive collection of celebrated artwork for numerous books and magazines, as well as several series of commemorative stamps for the Australia Post. When one of Australia’s largest companies, Broken Hill Proprietory, commissioned a series of Australian wildlife paintings from Williams for its international public relations program, the response was unprecedented: over 100,000 letters from 30 countries, resulting in the distribution of well over one million prints! Known for her meticulous attention to detail and the surprisingly life-like quality of her renderings, Williams continues to use her formidable talents to champion the important cause of natural conservation in Australia and worldwide.

Here is some information from the Unicover website about Gene Jarvis:

Gene Jarvis American 1921 – 1990 Although Gene Jarvis received no formal art training, he has become an award-winning artist who captures the intrigue and magic of Nature in his intricate line engravings. He studied art in high school and later gained experience as an illustrator for Naval Intelligence at Washington, D.C., during World War II. As a freelance illustrator he specializes in scratchboard and pen and ink, a medium that lends itself to fine detail and realism, techniques that suit Jarvis’s exceptional talent. He has worked for such well-known clients as RCA, Sears, Goodyear, Coca-Cola and Proctor & Gamble, as well as newspapers and magazines, and has been recognized for his achievements by winning awards in the Atlanta, Georgia, and Indiana Art Directors clubs.