Magnificent frigatebird
The magnificent frigatebird is a large tropical seabird known for its striking appearance, particularly during mating season when males display a bright red throat sac. Found along the tropical coastlines of the Americas, this bird is notorious for its aggressive behavior, often stealing food and nesting materials from other birds, which has earned it the nickname "man-of-war bird." With a wingspan of up to seven feet and weighing up to four pounds, it is the largest of five frigatebird species. The magnificent frigatebird primarily feeds on jellyfish, squid, and crustaceans, catching food at the water's surface and even snatching flying fish mid-air. During breeding season, males gather to attract females without engaging in combat, and they build nests in low shrubs, often close to other seabird colonies. The female lays a single egg, which both parents incubate for about 50 days, and the young remain dependent on their parents for food for nearly a year. Despite facing some predation risks, particularly to their young, magnificent frigatebirds are not considered threatened and can live for 25 to 35 years.
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Magnificent frigatebird
With its large, bright-red throat sac inflated during the mating season, the black body of the male magnificent frigatebird is easy to see. This large, tropical seabird has a nasty reputation for stealing food and nesting material from other birds. Because of this habit they have been called man-of-war birds, after the 18th- and early 19th-century warships. Magnificent frigatebirds can be found on the tropical coastlines of the Americas.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Fregatidae
Genus: Fregata
Species: Magnificens
The long, dark body and long, pointed, black wings of the magnificent frigatebird is a sinister sight to other birds in the tropics of Central and South America. This bird is known for its habit of attacking other birds to force them to surrender the food they have caught. Sometimes a group of frigatebirds may surround another bird and attack it to force it to drop its food. Quite often, the frigatebirds are able to catch the food before it hits the water. Because the frigatebird does not have waterproof plumage, it stays out of the water. As it skims very low over the water, it seizes jellyfish, squid, crustaceans, and other creatures near the surface of the water in its long bill without getting wet. It is skillful enough to catch flying fish in mid-air as the fish leap from the water. Another item in its diet is newly-hatched turtles. This choice in diet makes the magnificent frigatebird a carnivore, or meat eater.
The largest of five species of frigatebirds, the magnificent frigatebird is three to four feet (about one meter) long and weighs up to four pounds (up to two kilograms). Both male and female have black plumage. The male's body is all-black, while the larger female has a white streak across her breast. One feature which makes this bird impressive is its seven-foot (two-meter) wingspan. Such long, pointed wings gracefully carry the light body of the frigatebird through its acrobatic flight patterns. Its v-shaped, pointed tail feathers act as rudders in flight. For hours on end the bird can soar and glide above the water without landing to rest.
Once every two years, between mid-December and early April, breeding season arrives. At this time, the male develops his bright red throat sac which he can inflate like a large balloon or deflate as desired. Several males may gather in one place in order to attract females with their red sacs and shaking feathers. Unlike many male birds of other species, the male frigatebirds do not fight each other when they are courting females. A paired male and female build a nest of sticks, feathers, and bones in a low shrub or tree. The nest is often close to other birds' nests, such as those of gannets or boobies, so that the frigatebirds may steal food from their neighbors. While the frigatebirds are building their nest, the male may also steal nesting material from other birds' nests. The female needs to guard her nest from the raids of other male birds. A male's instinct to steal nest material may be so strong that he might even take twigs from his own nest while his mate is away.
After mating, the female lays one white egg in the nest, and both male and female incubate the egg. The incubation period lasts 50 days. The young frigatebird remains in the nest for 100 to 120 days while its parents feed it and it develops its feathers. During this time, the young may be quite helpless. In general, frigatebirds face few, if any, predators, but their young may be eaten by short-eared owls and other frigatebirds on the Galapagos Islands. When they are ready to fledge, or fly from the nest, young birds from several nests learn together in a group how to fly. Even after the young has left the nest, it receives food from its mother until it is nearly one year old.
The magnificicent frigatebird has few enemies but boobies and other frigatebirds may try to steal their eggs. Domestic cats and rats may prey on juveniles. The life span of magnificent frigatebirds may be between 25 and 35 years. They are not a threatened species.
Bibliography
Galvin, Brendan. “Magnificent Frigatebird Overview.” All About Birds, 2024, www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Magnificent‗Frigatebird/overview#. Accessed 22 Apr. 2024.
Polan, Jason. “Magnificent Frigatebird - Audubon Field Guide.” National Audubon Society, 2024, www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/magnificent-frigatebird. Accessed 22 Apr. 2024.