The Water Birds of Bonaire

Where the water and land meet on Bonaire, you can find numerous birds. Of course, the flamingo is the most famous of them, but in this blog, we pay attention to the other wading and shorebirds that we often encounter on Bonaire. We’ve scoured the coast, saltpans, and eastern limestone cliffs for you and found nine waterbirds of Bonaire.

Want to find peace and birds? Then book a tour with us! We can even take you on a customized birdwatching tour.

_{Text continues below…}

Black-Necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)

We start with the elegant black-necked stilt (kaweta di patu in Papiamentu). With its long red legs, this black-and-white wader gracefully steps through the shallow waters of the saltpans and lakes. There, the stilt uses its sensitive pointed bill to find food, including insects, snails, fish, and seagrass seeds.

If you get too close, the black-necked stilt will be the first to sound the alarm among all the waterbirds. It then takes off with loud calls, warning the other birds in the vicinity. Kaweta di patu can be translated as the “informant for ducks.” In Curaçao, the black-necked stilt, like white Dutch people, is called makamba. This is attributed to its red (sunburned) legs.

American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus)

The American oystercatcher (kibra kokolishi in Papiamentu) is another black-and-white waterbird that looks similar to its European counterpart but has a heavier orange bill. It uses this bill to crack the shells of crabs and also consumes small shellfish and sea urchins. Oystercatchers on Bonaire find a peaceful place to breed on the cliffs of The East Coast of Bonaire.

They also consume large shellfish. Since these are too hard to crack, the oystercatcher looks for shells that are slightly open. By inserting its bill, it can cut the sphincter muscle and then consume the inside of the shell. If the shell is not anchored to the bottom, it is broken on a rock by the oystercatcher.

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

The next water bird of Bonaire also has a distinctive bill. It is the whimbrel (lopi piku doblá in Papiamentu), the only bird with a downward-curved bill. This robust bird is adorned with a beautiful brown and white pattern. The whimbrel is a winter visitor that heads back north in the summer.

During the winter, you can often find whimbrels in the sandy pools of the southwest coast, as well as on the beaches at Lac and in the mangroves. With their curved bills, whimbrels are skilled at probing the muddy substrate for small invertebrates. They also enjoy larger prey, such as crabs.

Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)

The ruddy turnstone (fèrfdó di boto in Papiamentu) is one of our favorite water birds in Bonaire. During a sundowner on the beach, these colorful shorebirds with white bellies always drop by. They are social creatures, often seen strolling the coastline in small groups. They prefer to rest on the edges of boats floating off the shore. In Papiamentu, their name translates to “painter of the boat,” primarily because of their use of white paint!

Ruddy turnstones forage in the surf or under small stones, which they flip with their bills. This behavior gives them their Dutch name, stone walker. They have a diverse diet, including insects, crabs, snails, shellfish, and aquatic plants. They also try to entice tourists into giving them food and are not at all shy; one ruddy turnstone even once curiously pecked my toe!

Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)

The build of the Spotted Sandpiper (snepi barika pintá in Papiamentu) is similar to that of the Ruddy Turnstone, but its plumage is far less colorful. You can easily recognize the sandpiper by the comma-shaped white patch at the front of its wing.

The beautiful breeding plumage, with its spotted breast and belly that gives this bird its name, cannot be admired on Bonaire. They are only on the island during winter and breed in North America. Their breeding behavior involves a unique division of roles. The female takes care of laying the eggs, while the male handles everything else. As the male incubates the eggs and feeds the chicks, the female has already moved on to mate with other males. Thanks to this polyandry, Spotted Sandpipers produce more offspring than other sandpiper species.

Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)

Another water bird of Bonaire is the semipalmated plover (lopi semipalmado in Papiamentu). Like many other shorebirds, semipalmated plovers are grayish-brown with a white belly. They are recognizable by the black band around the neck, the dark eye mask, and the black bill tip. Like the least sandpiper, they can be admired year-round on Bonaire, but there are more of them during the winter.

The semipalmated plover enjoys a varied diet of brine flies, insects, snails, seeds, mosquito larvae, and fruits. They often find these delicacies on the banks of shallow pools, which are abundant during the Scenic Drive to the Saltpans of Bonaire.

Snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus)

Another member of the plover family is the Snowy Plover (lopi blanku in Papiamentu). It is a small grey waterbird with a white belly and some black spots on its head. However, these characteristic spots disappear after the breeding season. The Snowy Plover can be admired on Bonaire year-round and also breeds on the island. They eat the same food as the aforementioned Semipalmated Plover.

Least Sandpiper and Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla and Calidris pusilla)

Scurrying about among the impressive flamingos of Bonaire, you might almost overlook these small birds. It’s a shame because the sandpipers are among the cutest water birds on the island! Two similar species can be found on the island, both brownish-gray with white bellies. The key difference lies in their legs. The least sandpiper (snepi chiki in Papiamentu) has yellow-green legs and is the more common of the two. The legs of the semipalmated sandpiper (snepi pia pretu in Papiamentu) are black.

These little shorebirds race along the muddy shores of coastal pools, salt pans, and lakes at high speed. Along the way, they pick at small insects attracted to the damp substrate. The multitude of brine flies, swarming in the thousands over the salty water of the salt pans, especially provides a grand feast for them.

The least sandpiper can be observed on Bonaire throughout the year, although they become more numerous during the winter when their counterparts from colder regions come to the island to overwinter. The semipalmated sandpiper is a winter visitor from Siberia, Canada, and Alaska. They only spend their winters on Bonaire and fly northward in the spring.

Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)

The Stilt Sandpiper (snepi pia largu in Papiamentu) is commonly found in Bonaire during the winter months. In spring, most Stilt Sandpipers migrate to North America to breed. During this time, their plumage changes, and they develop an orange-brown spot on their cheeks. They primarily feed on insects and small creatures that inhabit the muddy bottoms of the saliñas.

The Stilt Sandpiper bears similarities to the Lesser (and Greater) Yellowlegs but has a sturdier and slightly downward-curved bill with a blunt tip. Additionally, its legs are noticeably less pronouncedly yellow.

Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)

The lesser yellowlegs (snepi pia hel chikitu in Papiamentu) is a slightly larger wader. This bird is also brownish-gray with a white belly. Lesser yellowlegs stand high on their yellow legs. With an outstretched neck, they appear entirely different from when their neck is retracted. Their bill is mainly black and measures exactly one head length. This is one of the key differences from their cousin, the greater yellowlegs.

Sometimes, they use their bill to stir up the water’s surface, flushing out prey. They primarily feed on insects, small fish, shellfish, mosquito larvae, and snails. However, seeds are also on the menu.

Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)

We mentioned the greater yellowlegs (snepi pia hel grandi in Papiamentu) briefly earlier. This bird is also a common water bird on Bonaire. Despite the significant difference in size, it is challenging to distinguish between the two yellowlegs. The bill, in particular, sets them apart. Unlike the lesser yellowlegs, the greater yellowlegs has a more colored base of the bill, and the bill is relatively longer (over one head length).

The differences between the lesser yellowlegs and greater yellowlegs are explained in detail on this website.

Does your bird lack the characteristic yellow legs? Then you might have spotted a Willet (Tringa semipalmata).

Short-Billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)

The short-billed dowitcher (Snepi gris chikitu in Papiamentu) is also a winter visitor that in its winter plumage bears similarities to the yellowlegs. The legs of this bird are less distinctly yellow. This dowitcher is about the same size as the lesser yellowlegs but has a much longer bill. While foraging, it moves its bill up and down like a sewing machine. This characteristic movement will help you identify this bird.

Wilson’s Snipe (Gallinago delicata)

The Dowitcher resembles the Wilson’s Snipe (Snepi di awa in Papiamentu), especially in summer plumage. On Bonaire, the two are fairly distinguishable because the winter plumage of the little gray snipe is paler than the reddish plumage of the snipe. In summer plumage, the two birds look very similar, but you won’t find these winter visitors on the island in the summer.

A Tour With HopiBonaire

With HopiBonaire, you have the opportunity to explore the undiscovered gems of Bonaire during our tours. What makes our excursions unique is that you can go at your own pace with your own group, enjoying a peaceful and private experience.

Our tours are fully customizable to your preferences. If you’re looking for a birdwatching tour, we can create one just for you. Are you ready for this adventure? Discover our range of island tours here.

_{Text continues below…}

Read More