Long-tailed Duck decoys

The issue of a 3-part series of franking labels featuring old style wooden duck decoys began in 2012.

First out was the Common Eider; the 2013 motif is the Long-tailed Duck.

Wildfowl decoys are lifelike dummies used by hunters to encourage birds to land nearby.

The oldest decoys were made from plants such as bulrush, and the first decoys carved from wood were unpainted. Decoys are now mostly made from plastic.

The Long-tailed Duck belongs to the order Anseriformes.

It reaches a length of between 39 and 47 cm and can weigh up to almost one kilo.

It has a rounded head and a short sturdy bill. The all-dark wings are quite sharp and pointed. Their flight is smooth and rapid, with a characteristic wing-beat dipping low below the horizontal.

Technical Details

Issue Date: 19.02.2013

Designer: Juha Pykäläinen

Printer: The Lowe Martin Group

Process: offset

Size: 4.00 x 30.34 mm

Values: €0.65, 0.80, 1.00, 1.10