Birds of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao ZC-ABC BOOK.indd 1 1/18/17 10:49 AM ZC-ABC BOOK.indd 2 1/18/17 10:49 AM Birds of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao A SITE AND FIELD GUIDE JEFFREY V. WELLS ALLISON CHILDS WELLS Illustrated by ROBERT DEAN A Zona Tropical Publication FROM COMSTOCK PUBLISHING ASSOCIATES a division of Cornell University Press Ithaca and London ZC-ABC BOOK.indd 3 1/18/17 10:49 AM Text copyright © 2017 by Jeffrey V. Wells and Allison Childs Wells Illustrations copyright © 2017 by John K. McCuen and Robert Dean Photographs copyright © 2017 by respective photographers All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publishers. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850, or visit www.cornellpress.cornell.edu. First published 2017 by Cornell University Press First printing, Cornell Paperbacks, 2017 Printed in China Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Wells, Jeffrey V. (Jeffrey Vance), 1964– author. | Wells, Allison Childs, author. | Dean, Robert, 1955– illustrator. Title: Birds of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao : a site and field guide / Jeffrey V. Wells, Allison Childs Wells ; illustrated by Robert Dean. Description: Ithaca : Comstock Publishing Associates, a division of Cornell University Press, 2017. | “A Zona Tropical publication.” | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016050673 | ISBN 9781501701078 (pbk. : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Birds—Aruba—Identification. | Birds—Bonaire—Identification. | Birds— Curaçao—Identification. | Bird watching—Aruba—Guidebooks. | Bird watching— Bonaire—Guidebooks. | Bird watching—Curaçao—Guidebooks. Classification: LCC QL688.A78 W44 2017 | DDC 598.0972986—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016050673 Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetable-based, low-VOC inks and acid-free papers that are recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. For further information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu. Book design: Gabriela Wattson Cover design: David Rotstein ZC-ABC BOOK.indd 4 1/18/17 10:49 AM We dedicate this book to Professor Doctor K. H. Voous, a pioneer of Caribbean ornithology who established the baseline for ornithology in the “Netherlands Antilles,” as the islands were known during his time. His Birds of the Netherlands Antilles was indispensable during our early years on the islands and continues to be an important resource and inspiration. This book is also dedicated to the warm, welcoming people of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. We are grateful for the opportunity to have spent so much time on the islands that are their home, and it is their hands that hold the future of the islands’ birds and other wildlife. Finally, we dedicate this book to our son, Evan, who made his first visit to Aruba when Allison was four months pregnant with him, then again at five months old, and many times since. Evan has come to love the islands—their birds, culture, people, and special places—as much as we do, and we trust that he will continue to answer the call of the islands throughout his life. ZC-ABC BOOK.indd 5 1/18/17 10:49 AM ZC-ABC BOOK.indd 6 1/18/17 10:49 AM.