The current country of Namibia was under South African administration from 1915 to 1990. During that time, the area was called South West Africa.
Formerly the colony of German South West Africa, the area was captured by South Africa in 1915. A League of Nations mandate gave continued them control following German defeat in World War I.
The Mandate was ended in 1966, with the intent of forming an independent state, but South Africa continued to illegally control the area until 1990.
The Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) is the bird shown on this 1961 stamp. The species is the smallest of the six species of flamingo.
The flamingos are not really pink. Most of the bird’s feathers are white. However, their most abundant food are small shrimps that are bright pink from pigments called carotene. It’s the same type of pigment that causes carrots to be orange.
For the flamingos, the pigments are waste products, but rather that releasing them through the digestive system, the bird’s system puts the carotene into their feathers, as the feathers grow.
In captivity, the birds must be fed a special food that contains the pigment (which is harmless) in order for them to remain the pink that is expected.
Some zoos have exhibited birds that have been left off the carotene diet, so do appear white. Some have also substituted the carrot-orange carotene, and displayed orange flamingos.
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