Bonaire Birds

Bonaire is a small island situated on the north coast of Venezuela, it is part of a group of islands referred to as the ABC islands: Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire. All three ABC islands are autonomous parts of the Netherlands and are called the Dutch Leward Antilles.

Between the 28th of November and 14th of December, me and an amazing team of five researchers went to Bonaire to study anti-predatory behaviour in Caribbean reef squid (more on that in later blog posts). As I have a keen interest in birds and dragonflies, as spent as much none-squid time as possible looking for any of these flying species…

There are about 244 bird species recorded on Bonaire, and since many of them are migrants that only visit the island briefly as they are flying south, or winter on the island, the best time to go bird watching is in the winter.

As the main purpose of my trip to Bonaire was to conduct research on Caribbean reef squids, I didn’t have that much time over to go bird watching. However, I always had my bird book and binos with me, so I managed to see quite a few amazing birds (and dragonflies, but more on that later).

My absolute favourite species to see were the two hummingbirds, and I caught the male blue-tailed emerald on video:

https://twitter.com/JSUHedlund/status/1202187000998174720?s=20

I did not however managed to get any good photos of the hummingbirds, but this is what the splendid males of the two species look like when someone with a lot of patience and a good camera snap a pic:

Blue-tailed emerald male, Photo: Francesco Veronesi.

Ruby-topaz Hummingbird male, Photo: Ysmad

Other great and beautiful species I saw were the Venezuela troupial, the magnificant frigatebird, bananaquit, yellow-shouldered Amazon parrot and American flamingo.

Carib grackel, Photo: Johanna Hedlund

Golden warbler, Photo: Johanna Hedlund

Yellow-shouldered Amazon parrot, Photo: Johanna Hedlund

American flamingo at Goto Meer, Photo: Johanna Hedlund

Venezuelan troupial, Photo: Johanna Hedlund

Bananaquits, Photo: Johanna Hedlund

This is the complete list of the 35 bird species I saw on Bonaire (English name, Scientific name and Swedish name):

• American Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber, karibisk flamingo

• Scaly-naped Pigeon Patagioenas squamosar, ödnackad duva

• Bare-eyed Pigeon Patagioenas corensis, nakenögd duva

• Common Ground Dove Columbina passerina, nordlig markduva

• White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi, ljuspannad duva

• Eared Dove Zenaida auriculata, öronduva

• Ruby-topaz Hummingbird Chrysolampis mosquitus, topaskolibri

• Blue-tailed Emerald Chlorostilbon mellisugus, blåstjärtad smaragd

• Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus, flikstrandpipare

• Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres, roskarl

• Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla, sotvingad mås

• Royal Tern Thalasseus maximus, kungstärna

• Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens, praktfregattfågel

• Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis, brun pelikan

• Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias, amerikansk gråhäger

• Great Egret Ardea alba, ägretthäger

• Reddish Egret Egretta rufescens, rosthäger

• Green Heron Butorides virescens, grönryggig häger

• Osprey Pandion haliaetus, fiskgjuse

• Crested Caracara Caracara cheriway, nordlig tofskarakara

• Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus, pilgrimsfalk

• Yellow-shouldered Amazon parrot Amazona barbadensis, gulskuldrad amazon

• Brown-throated Parakeet Eupsittula pertinax, brunstrupig parakit

• Brown-crested Flycatcher Myiarchus tyrannulus, brunhättad topptyrann

• Gray Kingbird Tyrannus dominicensis, grå kungstyrann

• Pearly-eyed Thrasher Margarops fuscatus, vitögd härmtrast

• Tropical Mockingbird Mimus gilvus, tropisk härmtrast

• House Sparrow Passer domesticus, gråsparv

• Venezuelan Troupial Icterus icterus, venezuelatrupial

• Yellow Oriole Icterus nigrogularis, gultrupial

• Yellow/ Golden Warbler Setophaga petechia, gul skogssångare

• Carib Grackle Quiscalus lugubris, karibbåtstjärt

• Saffron Finch Sicalis flaveola, saffransgulfink

• Black-faced Grassquit Melanospiza bicolor, skiffergräsfink

• Bananaquit Coereba flaveola, banansmyg

CONSERVATION ON BONAIRE

Bonaire has about 20 000 residents, of which most live in the coastal capitol of Kralendijk or in inland Ricon. Aruba, which is the smallest of the ABC islands, has about 116 000 residents, and is heavily developed.

There is a push to build more and attract more businesses to Bonaire, to boost the economy and create work, ie to become more like Aruba. However, 2-3 cruise ships already lay anchor at Bonaire daily, and there is many challenges connected with the influx of temporary visitors and hurried development.

Recently, the number of bleached corals have decreased in the reefs surrounding Bonaire, possibly as a result of sewage treatment having been improved on the island. Such positive trends must not be reversed. On Aruba, bird species as the pearly-eyed thrasher and yellow-shouldered Amazon parrot have disappeared, presumably because of a lack of suitable habitat. On Bonaire these birds still breed, and the endangered yellow-shouldered Amazon parrot has even increased in numbers!

The protected areas of Washington-Slagbaai National Park and Bonaire National Marine Park, along with the work of NGOs such as Echo Bonaire and STINAPA are immensely important to protect, conserve and educate on the natural, local fauna and flora of Bonaire - perhaps the last stronghold for many species of the ABC islands.

Washington-Slagbaai National Park, Photo: Johanna Hedlund

EcHo Bonaire

“Echo’s goal is to ensure a stable and growing population of the Yellow-shouldered Amazon Parrot. We hope to achieve this by:

• Reducing the poaching of chicks for the local and international pet trade.

• Restoring the dry-forest habitat that the parrots call home.

• Reducing habitat degradation by non-native species such as donkeys, goats, and pigs.”

STINAPA and WASHINGTON-SLAGBAAI national park

“Stichting Nationale Parken Bonaire (STINAPA Bonaire) is a non-governmental, not for profit foundation commissioned by the island government to manage the two protected areas of Bonaire: the Bonaire National Marine Park (BNMP) and the Washington Slagbaai National Park (WSNP).”

“Washington Slagbaai National Park is a 5,643 hectares nature sanctuary located in the northwest part of the island. It was the first nature sanctuary of the Netherlands Antilles and was established in 1969. It is a safe habitat for the terrestrial endemic and endangered species of Bonaire.”