Bonaire is home to a colony of brown gannets. They live in a specific place in the north of the island. On the rest of the island, you will only see them flying over occasionally.
These birds are superbly adapted to hunting and diving in the sea, thanks to their cigar-shaped bodies. They possess subcutaneous air sacs to absorb the shock of a thrust dive. Their diet consists of squid and fish, especially flying fish, harders, anchovies and species from the genus Hemiramphus. To outwit these fish, they dive down from about'30 metres and shoot through to great depths.
Pieter Smit was born in Arnhem and has lived on Bonaire since 2010. In his spare time, he enjoys taking photos, mainly of the Caribbean island's colourful birds... Read more…