Bonaire’s most famous bird is, of course, the flamingo. This large and graceful bird also breeds on Bonaire. The official name is the American Flamingo and on Bonaire it’s often called chogogo, based on the sound that it makes. It’s estimated that there are around 20,000 flamingos on Bonaire, and this number fluctuates; you can sometimes see entire flocks flying to destinations like Venezuela.
You can find flamingos in various locations, especially in shallow water, such as the salinas, Lake Goto, the mangroves near Lac, and all the ponds along the coast. If you want to take a good picture of a flamingo, the best is to stay in the car and to take a picture from there, if you step out the flamingo might slowly wade off.
A flamingo’s characteristic feature is its pink color, with youngsters being a bit lighter. Flamingos eat algae and small aquatic creatures, which contain a pigment that ultimately gives their feathers their pink color.
