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Frigate bird
Family Fregatidae
These magnificent birds are bandits, snatching fish, squid and turtle hatchlings from the grasp of other birds.
Subspecies
There are five species.
Statistics
Frigate birds are about the size of a chicken with long, slender wings spanning up to 2.3m (8ft). The largest species, the magnificent frigate bird, grows to a length of about 115cm (45in).
Physical Description
Adult males are usually entirely black, and adult females are marked with white underneath. A bare-skinned throat pouch becomes bright red in courting males, and can be inflated to the size of a football.
Their feet are very small and almost useless, with four webbed toes. They have long, hooked bills that help them to attack and steal fish from other seabirds. Their tails are long and deeply forked.
Distribution
They are found throughout the world along tropical and semitropical coasts and islands.
Habitat
They usually stay within 160km miles (100 miles) of land.
Diet
Frigate birds often steal fish caught by other birds in mid flight, though they also catch their own.
In some areas they specialise in taking turtle hatchlings.
Behaviour
Frigate birds are predominantly aerial, alighting only to sleep or tend their nests. They are one of the few marine birds whose feathers do not have enough oil to make them waterproof. Instead, they become waterlogged and cannot take off again.
Their fishing techniques are highly adapted to reduce contact with the water. They combine speed with agility to pluck fish from the water or from the air when dropped by other birds.
Reproduction
They build nests of sticks in trees or among rocks and usually lay one or two chalky white eggs. Both the male and female incubate the eggs for around six weeks.
Conservation status
Two species of frigate bird are listed on the IUCN's Red List. The Andrew's frigate bird is critically endangered, restricted only to Christmas Island.
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