Great Frigatebird

Overview

The Great Frigatebird is a widespread tropical seabird of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, closely resembling the Magnificent Frigatebird of the Americas in its extremely long wings, deeply forked tail, and largely aerial lifestyle. Males are glossy black with an inflatable red throat pouch, while females show a white breast patch along with a pale bar across the upperwing coverts.

Like other frigatebirds, it rarely lands on water and instead feeds by snatching prey at the surface or stealing food from other seabirds during flight.

Great Frigatebird feathers are long and narrow, similar in general structure to those of the Magnificent Frigatebird.

• Male body feathers: Glossy black overall with a greenish iridescent sheen, generally less purple-toned than Magnificent Frigatebird males.
• Female body feathers: Black overall with a white patch across the breast, often accompanied by a grayish throat area, plus a pale brownish bar across the upperwing coverts that tends to be more developed than in female Magnificent Frigatebirds.
• Flight feathers: Long, narrow, and blackish, suited to extended soaring flight.
• Tail feathers: Long and deeply forked when spread.
• Compared to Magnificent Frigatebird: The greener (rather than purple) iridescent sheen in males, and the more pronounced pale upperwing bar and grayish throat area in females, help distinguish Great Frigatebird feathers where ranges overlap.

Adult males are entirely glossy black with a greenish iridescent sheen and an inflatable red gular throat pouch used in courtship display. Adult females are black overall with a white breast patch, a grayish throat area, and a pale brownish bar across the upperwing coverts. Juveniles have a whitish or rusty head and underparts that darken progressively with successive molts over several years before reaching adult plumage. Molt is protracted given the species' size and largely aerial habits.

Great Frigatebirds breed on remote tropical islands across the Pacific and Indian Oceans, nesting colonially in low trees, shrubs, or on the ground on predator-free islets. They range widely over open tropical ocean when not breeding, rarely coming to continental coastlines, and depend on updrafts and thermals to minimize energy expenditure during long-distance flight.

This frigatebird feeds by snatching fish, squid, and other prey from at or near the water surface without landing, and frequently engages in kleptoparasitism, chasing other seabirds to force them to drop their catch. Its long wings and forked tail enable sustained soaring over great distances with minimal flapping. Nesting occurs in colonies, with males performing dramatic throat-pouch inflation displays to attract mates; a single egg is laid per season. Calls include rattling and drumming sounds produced during courtship display, along with various whistles and clatters.