Page 11 - AHATA

a8 local
Wednesday 21 May 2025

Soaring through the blue skies

Birds of Aruba

(Oranjestad)—Aruba’s na- often flying away at the
ture is very diverse and is sign of any threat. They use
home to several beauti- termite nests for breeding
ful and majestic wildlife. spots and feed mostly on
Among these is the bright seeds from the Kwihi tree,
Trupial, whose angelic Divi Divi tree and fruits.
voice is always heard with Photo Credit: Daniel Ruben
the rising sun; the cud- Gonzalez duces a rattling, screaming
dly parakeet, always in sound, throwing its head
company of another, and Warawara back onto its back while
the majestic Warawara, sunrise, this beloved song- The Warawara or Caracara calling.
a mighty bird that can be bird likes to wake up with Prikichi (parakeet) is one of the biggest birds While these birds are a
seen soaring in the clear a tune. But don’t let their The Brown-throated Prikichi found in the Aruban mondi. beautiful sight to behold,
blue skies. angelic songs fools you; the (Aratinga pertinax) be- At a heigh of 41 to 60 cm, it is very important to keep
Trupial can be a bit aggres- came the national bird of their wingspan can mea- your distance and respect
Trupial sive towards any threat, Aruba back in 2015, at the sure up to 125 cm. Known their habitats. This is how we
Icterus icterus, or known lo- protective over their nest- request of Aruba Birdlife as the “garbage man”, this protect our wildlife. By ad-
cally as the Venezuelan or ing spots—nesting spots Conservation. The bright bird of prey mostly feeds miring the beauty of Aruba
Orange Troupial, is a striking they most likely stole from green, adorable parakeet on dead animals. Its coat is in a safe and respectful
songbird whose bright or- other birds. Trupials can usually flies in flock of 30 dark brown, with a cream- manner, we can do our
ange feathers can be spot- be seen regularly, often in or more, but its population colored neck, orange part in protecting our sa-
ted from a far distance. trees or on top of a cactus. has been declining since face, thick beak and long cred nature.q
Known to be the first bird Photo Credit: Daniel Ruben the 2010s. Prikichis are a legs. The Warawara prefers
to sing at the first sign of Gonzalez shier breed than the trupial, to build its nest in the mid- Photo Credit: Aruba Birdlife
dle of tall cacti and pro- Conservation

Aruba Tourism Authority honored loyal visitors at Casa del Mar Beach Resort!

The Aruba Tourism Authority recently had the preciation and to say “Masha Danki” to guests visiting Aruba)
great pleasure of recognizing Emerald Ambas- who have visited Aruba 10, 20, or 35 years or Emerald Ambassador (35>years consecutively
sadors of Aruba. The honorees were respec- more consecutively. visiting Aruba)
tively honored with a certificate for their years
of visits, loyalty, and love for the island of Aruba. The three levels of honor are as follows: The honorees were:
Distinguished Visitor (10>years consecutively vis- Emerald Ambassadors
The honorary certification is presented on be- iting Aruba) Mr. David Higgingbottom and Mrs. Sheila Kidd
half of the Minister of Tourism as a token of ap- Goodwill Ambassador (20>years consecutively from North Andover, Massachusetts, United
States.

Ms. Keyttin Silva representing the Aruba Tourism
Authority, and staff members of Casa del Mar
Beach Resort bestowed the certificate upon
the honorees, presented them with gifts, and
thanked them for choosing Aruba as their fa-
vorite vacation destination, as their home away
from home.

The top reasons for returning to Aruba provided
by the honorees were:
• Aruba’s people.
• Aruba’s weather.
• Aruba’s water.
• Aruba’s safety.

On behalf of the Aruba Tourism Authority, we
would like to express our sincere gratitude and
appreciation to the honorees for their contin-
ued visits to the “One Happy Island”.q