This foraging strategy is known to scientists as kleptoparasitism.

Frigatebirds also force other seabirds to drop scarce nesting material, which is also retrieved. This pugnacious behaviorįorces these birds to drop or disgorge any fish that they have recently caught and eaten, which is then consumed by the frigatebird. Frigatebirds sometimes prey on the young of other seabirds, especially terns and noddys.įrigatebirds also commonly swoop aggressively on pelicans, boobies, and gulls, poking them and biting their tail and wings. Frigatebirds frequently catch flying fish during those brief intervals when both bird and fish are airborne. They feed on fish, squid, jellyfish, and other invertebrates by hovering over the surface of the ocean and swiftly diving to snatch prey at the surface, often without getting their body feathers wet. They are excellent fliers, both in terms of the distance they can cover across the vast oceans and their extremely skilled maneuverability in flight. The throat sac of male frigatebirds can be inflated with air and is used to impress the females, both visually and by helping to resonate the loud rattlings and yodels of courting males.įrigatebirds are highly graceful and skilled aerialists. The plumage is a dark brownish black, with whitish underparts in some species, but the throat is naked and colored a bright red in males. The bill of frigatebirds is long, and both the upper and lower mandibles hook downwards. Frigatebirds are very ungainly on the ground and in the water, on which they rarely set down. Their legs are short, and the small, partially webbed feet are only used for perching. Their tail is long, with extensive pointed forks. These are highly favorable wing-loading characteristics, and frigate-birds are among the most skilled of the birds at flying and seemingly effortless gliding. Frigatebirds occur along the coasts of the tropical oceans, but also hundreds of miles out to sea.įrigatebirds typically weigh about 3 lb (1.5 kg), but the spread of their long, narrow, swept-back, pointed wings can exceed 6.5 ft (2 m). Frigatebirds are five species of oceanic birds that make up the family Fregatidae.

Frigate birds