Frigatebirds | Fregatidae

Fregatvogels | Rabihorcados

A family of five tropical seabirds. In the region Magnificent Frigatebird is common along almost every coast; Ascension Frigatebird has been recorded as a vagrant in the Bahamas. Relative to their weight, frigatebirds have the largest wing area of any bird: long, narrow, sharply angled wings and a deeply forked tail. They rise high on updraughts and glide long distances, often without a single wingbeat. Their plumage is not waterproof and the legs are short and weak, so they do not swim and alight only on trees, shrubs or rocks. They snatch flying fish and squid from the sea surface in flight and also chase boobies, tropicbirds and terns until these drop their catch. They breed in colonies in mangroves and shrubs on islands, such as on Barbuda. There males inflate a bright red throat pouch to attract females. The single young is fed by the parents for a long time, so that females often breed only every other year.