| Magnificent frigatebird | |
|---|---|
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| MaleFregata magnificens magnificens with inflated gular sac,Española,Galápagos | |
_female_with_open_wings.jpg) | |
| FemaleFregata magnificens rothschildi,Panama | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Suliformes |
| Family: | Fregatidae |
| Genus: | Fregata |
| Species: | F. magnificens |
| Binomial name | |
| Fregata magnificens Mathews, 1914 | |
| Subspecies | |
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| Range map | |
Themagnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens),frigate petrel[2] orman o' war[3] is aseabird of the frigatebird familyFregatidae. With a length of 89–114 centimetres (2 ft 11 in – 3 ft 9 in) and wingspan of 2.17–2.44 m (7 ft 1 in – 8 ft 0 in), it is the largest species of frigatebird. It occurs over tropical and subtropical waters off America, between northernMexico andPeru on the Pacific coast and betweenFlorida and southernBrazil along the Atlantic coast.[1] There are also populations on theGalápagos Islands in the Pacific and theCape Verde islands in the Atlantic. It is one of the fastest birds in the world, flying at speeds of up to 153 kilometres (95 mi) per hour.[4]
The magnificent frigatebird is a large, lightly built seabird with brownish-black plumage, long narrow wings and a deeply forked tail. The male has a striking redgular sac which he inflates to attract a mate. The female is slightly larger than the male and has a white breast and belly. Frigatebirds feed on fish taken in flight from the ocean's surface (oftenflying fish), and sometimes indulge inkleptoparasitism, harassing other birds to force them to regurgitate their food.
The magnificent frigatebird was originally considered to belong to the speciesFregata aquila but in 1914 the Australian ornithologistGregory Mathews proposed that the magnificent frigatebird should be considered as a separate species with thebinomial nameFregata magnificens.[5] Of the four other species within the genusFregata, genetic analysis has shown that the magnificent frigatebird is most closely related to theAscension frigatebird (Fregata aquila).[6]
There are twosubspecies:
Prior to 2022, both these subspecies were considered synonymous with one another and grouped underF. m. magnificens. However, they were split by theInternational Ornithological Congress in 2022 based on a 2011 study which examined genetic and morphological variation in magnificent frigatebirds, finding both expected and also highly unexpected results. As predicted by the flight capacity of the species, the authors found signatures of highgene flow across most of the distribution range. This included evidence of recent gene flow among Pacific and Atlantic localities, likely across theIsthmus of Panama. This geological formation is a strong barrier to movement in most tropicalseabirds. However, the same study also found that the magnificent frigatebird on the Galápagos Islands is genetically and morphologically distinct. Based on this study, the Galápagos population has not been exchanging any genes with their mainland counterparts for several hundred thousand years.[7]
Christopher Columbus encountered magnificent frigatebirds when passing theCape Verde Islands on his first voyage across the Atlantic in 1492. His journal for the voyage survives in a version made in the 1530s byBartolomé de las Casas.[8] The entry for 29 September reads in English:
They saw a bird that is called a frigatebird, which makes the boobies throw up what they eat in order to eat it herself, and she does not sustain herself on anything else. It is a seabird, but does not alight on the sea nor depart from land 20 leagues [97 km; 60 mi]. There are many of these on the islands of Cape Verde.[9]
In the 15th century text the name of the bird is written asrabiforçado. The modern Spanish word for a frigatebird israbihorcado or "forked tail".[8][9] A population of magnificent frigatebirds once bred on the Cape Verde Islands but is now probably extinct.[10]
The wordfrigatebird derives from the French mariners' name for the birdLa Frégate - afrigate or fast warship.[11] The etymology of the name was given by French naturalistJean-Baptiste du Tertre when describing the magnificent frigatebird in 1667.[12][a] English mariners referred to frigatebirds as Man-of-War birds. This name was used by the English explorerWilliam Dampier in his bookAn Account of a New Voyage Around the World published in 1697:[13]
The Man-of-War (as it is called by the English) is about the bigness of a Kite, and in shape like it, but black; and the neck is red. It lives on Fish yet never lights on the water, but soars aloft like a Kite, and when it sees its prey, it flys down head foremost to the Waters edge, very swiftly takes its prey out of the Sea with his Bill, and immediately mounts again as swiftly; never touching the Water with his Bill. His Wings are very long; his feet are like other Land-fowl, and he builds on Trees, where he finds any; but where they are wanting on the ground.[13]
The modern nameFrigate Bird was used in 1738 by the English naturalist and illustratorEleazar Albin in hisA Natural History of the Birds. The book included an illustration of the male bird showing the redgular pouch.[14]Like the genus name, the English term is derived from the French mariners' name for the birdla frégate—afrigate or fast warship.[15]
The genus name,Fregata has the same source as the English term, andmagnificens isLatin for "splendidly", frommagnificus, "grand".[11]
The magnificent frigatebird is widespread in the tropicalAtlantic, breeding colonially in trees inFlorida, theCaribbean and also along thePacific coast of theAmericas from Mexico to Ecuador, including theGalápagos Islands.
It has occurred as avagrant as far from its normal range as theIsle of Man,Denmark,Spain,England,Nova Scotia, theMagdalen Islands, andBritish Columbia.
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The magnificent frigatebird is the largest species offrigatebird. It measures 89–114 cm (2 ft 11 in – 3 ft 9 in) in length, has a wingspan of 2.17–2.44 m (7 ft 1 in – 8 ft 0 in) and weighs 1.1–1.59 kilograms (2 lb 7 oz – 3 lb 8 oz).[16] Males are all-black with a scarletthroat pouch that is inflated like a balloon in the breeding season. Although the feathers are black, the scapular feathers produce a purple iridescence when they reflect sunlight, in contrast to the malegreat frigatebird's green sheen. Females are black but have a white breast and lower neck sides, a brown band on the wings, and a blue eye-ring that is diagnostic of the female of the species. Immature birds have a white head and underparts.
This species is very similar to the otherfrigatebirds and is similarly sized to all but thelesser frigatebird. However, it lacks a white axillary spur, and juveniles show a distinctive diamond-shaped belly patch. The magnificent frigatebird is silent in flight, but makes various rattling sounds at its nest.
It spends days and nights on the wing, with an average flapping rate of 2.84 beat per second,[17] ground speed of 10 km/h (6.2 mph), covering up to 223 km (139 mi) before landing. They alternately climb inthermals, to altitudes occasionally as high as 2,500 m (8,200 ft), and descend to near the sea surface.[18]
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This bird makes a shallowplatform nest on top of both trees and bushes on islands andcays withmangroves. This nest is constructed out of branches and twigs.[19]
The magnificent frigatebird lays aclutch of one clear white egg that measures 68 by 47 millimetres (2+3⁄4 by1+3⁄4 in) on average. This egg is incubated by both sexes for a period of 50 to 60 days. After the egg hatches, the male parent will abandon it, with the female staying to provision for the young for almost a year.[19]
This species feeds mainly onfish,squid,jellyfish andcrustaceans. Individual bird diets vary depending on food availability, preferred hunting technique,[20] sex, and age.[21]
It is akleptoparasite, pecking at other seabirds to force them to disgorge their meals. After forcing the other seabird to regurgitate its meal, the magnificent frigatebird will dive and catch the prey before it hits the surface of the water.[19]
The Galápagos population of the magnificent frigatebird may warrant a separate conservation status. This small population of genetically unique magnificent frigatebirds is vulnerable. Any catastrophic event or threats by humans could wipe out the population of approximate two-thousand magnificent frigatebirds that nest on the Galápagos Islands. Magnificent frigatebirds are currently classified as ofLeast Concern by theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature, but because of the genetic uniqueness of those on the Galápagos Islands this may need to be revisited.[7]
This population on Cape Verde is thought to be extremely low and on the brink of extinction, despite the original sighting of this species by Columbus likely being that of the Cape Verde population. Protection of the frigatebird's breeding sites is necessary for the species' recovery.[22]
