Magnificent Frigatebird

Fregata magnificensOrder: PELECANIFORMES Family: Frigatebirds (Fregatidae)

Codes: Common Name: MAFR Scientific Name: FREMAG ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174763

Magnificent Frigatebird: The breeding male Magnificent Frigatedbird is black with an orange throat patch that inflates to a bright red-orange balloon in a courtship display. The bill is gray and hooked.

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Overview

Magnificent Frigatebird: Large black seabird, orange throat patch inflates into a huge bright red-orange balloon when in courtship display. Long bill is gray, hooked. Wings are long and narrow. Tail is forked; legs and feet are dark gray. Eats fish, crustaceans, jellyfish. High soaring flight.

Range and Habitat

Magnificent Frigatebird: During breeding season, found in coastal Florida and in tropical Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In non-breeding season, occurs from the coast of North Carolina south to Florida and west to Texas; also on the coast of California. Preferred habitats include ocean coasts, bays, and islands; nests on mangrove islands.

Topo Map: Gull-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"kack", "ka-ack"

Interesting Facts

A group of frigatebirds are collectively known as a "fleet" and a "flotilla" of frigatebirds.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Related Birds

Brown Pelican
Swallow-tailed Kite
Northern Gannet

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Magnificent Frigatebird

● Song: "kack", "ka-ack"

● Foraging & Feeding: Magnificent Frigatebird: Eats small fish, squid, jellyfish, crustaceans, hatchling sea turtles, young terns, birds, and their eggs; also scavenges for scraps around fishing boats and docks. Forages by shallow plunge diving or snatching food from the surface; chases terns and forces them to drop their catch.

● Breeding & nesting: Magnificent Frigatebird: One, rarely two, white eggs are laid in a flimsy platform made of sticks, grass, and stems, usually built in a mangrove, other tree, or bush, 2 to 20 feet above the ground or water; sometimes nests on the ground. Incubation ranges from 40 to 50 days and is carried out by both parents. Most females do not breed every year.

● Similar species: Magnificent Frigatebird: Great Frigatebird has pale brown wing coverts and glossy green head and back.

Flight Pattern

Graceful., Very high effortless soaring flight.

Magnificent Frigatebird Male Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Magnificent Frigatebird: During breeding season, found in coastal Florida and in tropical Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In non-breeding season, occurs from the coast of North Carolina south to Florida and west to Texas; also on the coast of California. Preferred habitats include ocean coasts, bays, and islands; nests on mangrove islands.

^BreedingMonogamous, Colonial

^PopulationRare to casual

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight44.8 Ounces

Gull-like Body

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America