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Lesser Frigatebird
(Fregata ariel)
: "Least Frigatebird", "Man-o'-war Hawk",
"Seahawk"
Size: 65-80 cm; wing span 1.55-1.9 m
Weight:
625-875 g (male),
760-955 g (female)
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
Lesser Frigatebirds are relatively large seabirds with dimorphic plumage.
Male Lesser
Frigatebirds are predominantly black, with a grey bill
and eye ring and pink feet. They have a scarlet throat sac which,
when not inflated, shows as a red spot on the throat.
Female
Lesser Frigatebirds are black and white. They have a white breast
and belly. The legs are pinkish. The colour of the bill and eye
ring depends on race.
The bill of both sexes of Lesser Frigatebird is narrow and extremely
hooked.
Immature
Lesser Frigatebirds have a whiteish head. Otherwise they resemble
females.
Juveniles
have a buff head and a black breast band.
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Twitcher's tip |
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Compared to Great
Frigatebirds, Lesser Frigatebirds have white markings on the
inner wings (males on the upperwings, females on the underwings).
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Lesser
Frigatebird at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
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The global distribution of the Lesser Frigatebird is available
HERE
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Lesser Frigatebirds occur in tropical and subtropical
oceans,
from West Africa, across the Indian Ocean (including the tip of
the Indian subcontinent), the islands of far-eastern Asia
(including Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and smaller islands),
the western Pacific Ocean up to about Hawaii and parts of
the Atlantic coast of Brazil.
In Australian coastal waters, they can
be found from about Brisbane, QLD (in some cases also the NSW
Far North Coast), across the northern end of the continent,
to about Exmouth, WA (in some cases to about Perth). They
are also found on all Australian offshore islands within that range.
They are not found anywhere inland.
Lesser Frigatebirds breed on tropical and subtropical islands and spend the rest of their
lives above coastal
waters and the open seas.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
H. Mouritsen reports spotting a female Lesser Frigatebird,
race "ariel",
at One Tree Island, Capricornia Cays NP, near Rockhampton, QLD, in
January 2011.
J. Greaves reports spotting a Lesser Frigatebird, race "ariel", at Cable Beach, Broome,
WA, in April 2015.
B. Hensen reports finding a Lesser Frigatebird, race "ariel", at Fogg Dam CR, NT, in January
2016.
M. Eaton reports spotting a Lesser Frigatebird, race "ariel", at the tip of Cape
York peninsula, QLD, in August 2019.
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Photos |
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Race "ariel"
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ADULT |
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MALE |
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Lesser Frigatebirds in various
plumages: male (top; in-flight), female (centre, in-flight; lower
right, perched) and juvenile with tawny-coloured head, in-flight
(photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]
Near-lateral view of a male Lesser Frigatebird in flight; note the
red throat pouch ["gular sac"] (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Fogg Dam CR,
NT, January 2016]
Lateral view of a male Lesser Frigatebird in flight; note the
characteristic grey bill of the male (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Fogg Dam CR,
NT, January 2016]
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FEMALE |
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Frontal view of a female Lesser Frigatebird, upper left,
with another female partly obscured on the right, and a
partly obscured male, lower left; for comparison,
there is a
Brown Booby in the lower left-hand corner
(photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]
Frontal view of a female Lesser Frigatebird in flight
(photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]
Frontal view of a female Lesser Frigatebird in flight
(photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]
Frontal view of a female Lesser Frigatebird in flight; note
the characteristic red eye-ring (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2006]
Near-dorsal view of a female Lesser Frigatebird in flight (photo
courtesy of H. Mouritsen)
[One Tree Island, Capricornia Cays NP, QLD, January 2011]
Ventral view of a female Lesser Frigatebird in flight
(photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
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Frontal view of an immature, probably third-year Lesser
Frigatebird; note the whiteish head and the absence of a
black neck band (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors.
The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.