Frigatebird, << FRIHG iht burd, >> is a sea bird with a large wingspread and unusually great powers of flight. People sometimes speak of it as the most graceful bird of the seas. It is also called man-of-war bird.
Frigatebirds live throughout the tropics. They are about 35 to 40 inches (90 to 100 centimeters) long, but their wings spread to about 8 feet (2.4 meters). Black feathers with a metallic sheen cover the upper part of their bodies. The females, or both sexes of some species (kinds), have white feathers on the underside. The young birds have white heads. In nesting season, the male grows a reddish pouch under its bill. He can inflate this pouch like a balloon and uses it in his mating display.
Frigatebirds breed in colonies and build their nests on rocks, high cliffs, or trees on uninhabited islands. They eat fish, which they catch from the surface of the sea or steal from other birds.
The frigatebird can stay in flight for weeks at a time without touching down on land or water. The bird takes advantage of air currents to stay aloft, sometimes flapping its wings as little as once over a 40-mile (64-kilometer) stretch. It can also soar to great heights, reaching over 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) in altitude.
Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens)
