The Brown Pelican (Pelecanus Occidentalis) is another one of Bonaire’s flying friends. The Brown Pelican is easily identified by the skin pouch that resides under its grey bill. Did you know that this pouch can hold up to three times as much food as its stomach!

They use this pouch also as a fishing net to catch fish and the Brown Pelican is also one of the two subspecies of the Pelican family that catches its prey by diving into the water. In the chain of the Dutch Caribbean islands the Brown Pelican is the national bird of St Maarten and is represented on the island’s flag and coat of arms. It also happens to be the national bird of a few other Caribbean islands such as Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis and the Turks and Caicos islands.

The Brown Pelican is a Piscivore, meaning it mostly eats fish and as previously mentioned is often seen diving for its prey, it is known to be able to spot a fish from as much as a height of 20 meters. They submerge completely after they initiate their dive and after emerging, release the water from their pouch first before consuming their catch.

They are social birds which often live in flocks and are monogamous breeders. They only breed with one partner in mating season but this is not a pair formed for life. They have preference of nesting in secluded areas which is why they are frequently found on islands! Also in Mangroves, vegetated spots amongst sand dunes and tuffs of shrubs and trees. In Bonaire they can be seen along the coast line and also in the Mangroves of Lac Bay which make ideal areas for them to habitat.