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Digital Tobago |
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Digital Photography |
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By Bob Brent |
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I Home I Digital Photography I Wildlife I About/Contact I Site Map I |
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AVIFAUNA INDEX : |
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Avifauna A - Z : Magnificent Frigatebird |
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Order : Pelecaniformes |
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Family : Frigatebirds (Fregatidae) |
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Name : Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) |
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A diverse group of aquatic birds that fall into three suborders; Pelicani (Pelicans, Darters, Cormorants and Boobies) Fregatae ( Frigate birds ) and Phaethones ( Tropic birds). All are fairly large birds and all have webbed feet. Each suborder then having specialised adaptations for the different ways of life, the Frigatebird never alighting on water while the Anhinga swims underwater for extended periods of time. |
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There are only five species in the order Fregatidae, and only one genera Fregata, as all are very closely related. They are large all black, or black and white birds, with long wings and forked tails. The males having coloured inflatable throat patches. They are incapable of swimming and do not walk. They are also incapable of taking off from a flat surface. The are essentially aerial birds, spending all day on the wing and only landing to roost or breed on cliff edges or in trees. Frigatebirds often steal fish, their main diet, from other sea birds or from each other in flight, using their speed, manoeuvrability and size to force there victim to drop their catch, which the Frigatebird then plummets to retrieve. Their long bill is adapted to snatching fish or small sea turtles near the surface of the water. |
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Length : 95 - 110 cm ( 37 - 43 in ) |
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Local Names : Man o’ War Bird |
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Nesting in low trees on remote undisturbed Islands, the Frigatebird lays one white egg and both parents attend to the nest. The Orange - red inflatable patch is used by the male to attract it’s mate. Egg laying occurs usually between October to December, but because of the slow growth of the young, colonies may be occupied throughout most of the year. With it’s large wingspan (in excess of 2 meters or 7 feet ) the Frigatebird is easy to identify either gliding high above the Island, or swooping low to snatch fish from the surface of the water. The Frigatebird can often be seen at close quarters around the Island when fishermen bring in their catch, joining Seagulls in a mad rush to grab the scraps thrown back into the sea, usually in groups of between 12 to 50 individuals. |
