A juvenile scarlet ibis
For four months now, between the mangroves opposite the new hospital in Otrobanda, in what should one day become an accessible mangrove park, a very young Scarlet ibis, has been roaming for food and sleeping. It is unclear how the animal ended up here on the island on its own, and where it comes from exactly, but the animal is slowly but surely changing to its final red color. It will take some time before it really comes to that. But in the meantime, observant bird watchers can enjoy this bird’s eating behavior and also how it interacts with the herons which are also present in the area.
In 2004 we saw the species for the first time on Curacao, another juvenile bird we slowly saw changing into its bright scarlet plumage. It stayed for a little more than a year and then it was gone. Let’s see what happens with this individual.
–> The Mangrove park is still closed to the public, but you don’t need to go inside to see birds. Just walk along the pedestrian paths around the park, parallel to the new courtyard hotel being built now, the megapier and towards Corendon Hotel and take a good look between the mangroves.
Bird Watching Curaçao 