Frigate Bird

Frigate Bird, common name for any of several large ocean birds, noted for possessing a larger wingspan in proportion to their weight than any other bird. Frigate birds, also called man-o’-war birds, live on fish that they steal from other birds. They also catch flying fish and snatch dead fish from the surface of the ocean.

The magnificent frigate bird, which has a wingspan of about 1.8 to 2.1 m (about 6 to 7 ft), breeds on coastal shores and islets in warm areas of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, and in the eastern Pacific from Mexico to Ecuador. The adult male is glossy black on its back and duller black on its lower parts. During the mating season the male develops a deep red or brilliant orange color on its expansible throat pouch. The female differs in having the sides and breast white; immature birds have a white head. The average length of the magnificent frigate bird is 102 cm (40 in), of which 43 cm (17 in) is tail.

A slightly smaller but similar frigate bird, the Ascençion frigate bird, is found only on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean. The great frigate bird is found in tropical areas around the world and the lesser frigate bird, the smallest species, is found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans of the Southern Hemisphere. The Christmas Island frigate bird is found on several islands in the Indian Ocean and has been categorized as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Scientific classification: Frigate birds make up the family Fregatidae. The magnificent frigate bird is classified as Fregata magnificens, the Ascençion frigate bird as Fregata aquila, the great frigate bird as Fregata minor, the lesser frigate bird as Fregata ariel, and the Christmas Island frigate bird as Fregata andrewsi.