Magnificent Frigatebird
From Costa Rica Travel Guide: Vacation and Travel tips
Magnificent Frigatebird
An oceanic bird, the Magnificent Frigatebird, inhabits tropical and subtropical coastal waters, and roosts in coastal trees, frequently near mangrove forest. On the Pacific side of the Americas, the Magnificent Frigatebird is found between Baja, California and Peru, but also breeds as far west as the Galápagos Islands. On the Atlantic side, it lives in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. The Magnificent Frigatebird is found in Costa Rican waters year round, and is especially abundant around Puntarenas, Golfo de Nicoya, and Cabo Blanco. In Costa Rica, this oceanic bird is more common on the Pacific coast than the Caribbean.
The Magnificent Frigatebird is not only the most abundant species of frigatebirds, but also the largest with a body length of 41-44 inches (103-112cms), a wing span of 91 inches (230 cms) and weight of 3.1 lbs. (1.4-1.5 kgs). It should be noted that this bird has the lowest wing loading of any known bird, which simply means its wings are extraordinarily long for its size. The female is slightly larger than the male. The Magnificent Frigatebird has a noticeable profile, with deeply forked tail feathers and exceptionally long, slender and pointed wings. The female has a white breast and head and brownish upper-wing coverts and orbital skin around the eye that is violet-blue, while the male has a mostly black body, with some white on the chest and a prominent red throat sac that is greatly inflated during sexual display, but also utilized to accommodate large fish. Juveniles have a white head and breast, a pale bar on the wing, and a pale blue bill, orbital skin, and feet.
The Magnificent Frigatebird dines mostly on fish and squid, but will also eat hatchling sea turtles found on the beach. Frigates don’t normally venture far out to sea, preferring to be close to food sources and land. Furthermore, this bird never actually dives into the water to feed but once it sees fish or squid near the surface they can skillfully catch fish while in the air, or swoop down and snatch them off the surface. They are also known to regularly steal food from other birds and amass around fishing boats and towns searching for offal to eat (the innards of other animals).
The Magnificent Frigatebird will build their nests in colonies of up to 10,000 pairs of parents. Often the colonies will be built on a cliff side or offshore island consisting of twig platforms found in the upper branches of trees where the constant winds help them take off and land.
Both the male and female work together on the nest, with the male bringing the materials and the female doing the actual construction. Also, both play an aggressive role in guarding the nest and sharing the incubation and feeding duties of their young. The female produces a single egg which is large and fragile, requiring 55 days of incubation before hatching. The hatchling grows slowly, relying on the parents for food for 6 months while it is in the nest. It is fed regurgitated food. After it fledges, the juvenile still returns nightly for food for 14 months, giving the frigatebird the longest known chick dependence on the planet. First flight occurs between 5-7 months after hatching. Sexual maturity is at 5-7 years. These birds can live for more than 40 years.
The Magnificent Frigate is in no real danger, but some local populations are declining due to disturbance or destruction of nesting sites and declines of food caused by overfishing.
