The Audacious Air Pirates of the Ocean

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Imagine a creature so skilled at stealing food that it’s notoriously known as the “pirate bird.” Frigatebirds are just that — air pirates with many captivating qualities, from how they forage for food to their fascinating courtship rituals. As seen in this video, male frigatebirds in particular have a unique way of attracting females.

What Is a Frigatebird?

Frigatebirds aren’t your typical seabird. While they spend most of their time soaring above the ocean, these peculiar creatures can’t get wet. Because their wings aren’t waterproof, frigatebirds avoid the waves as much as possible. So, instead of fishing for their food, they steal their meals from other seabirds, chasing them down and harassing them until they cough up their hard-earned fish. Then they swoop in to snatch the regurgitated food right out of the air, hence the name “pirate birds”. 

Due to their impressive size, Charles Darwin referred to frigatebirds as “condors of the ocean.” These large birds can have wingspans reaching up to 7 feet, 11 inches, with forked tails and dark feathers gleaming with a purplish or greenish hue. With these astonishing wingspans, frigatebirds can take advantage of air currents and soar above the ocean for weeks at a time.

Male frigatebirds have a particularly striking appearance with vibrant red gular sacs or throat pouches. Females, in contrast, are slightly larger, sporting white feathers on their breasts and shoulders and a distinctive ring around each eye. 

How a Male Frigatebird Attracts a Mate

Male frigatebirds must find the perfect nesting spot and diligently defend it from rival males. Once his nesting area is established, the male inflates his vibrant red gular, an inflatable pouch on his throat, to get a female’s attention. The male vibrates and claps his beak on the inflated pouch like a drum, creating a rhythmic sound to impress his mate. Older males with larger pouches can produce deeper drumbeats, making them more attractive to females. 

Female frigatebirds only lay one egg at a time, but both parents take turns incubating the egg. After it hatches, the male initially cares for the chick alongside the female. After a few months, however, the male leaves and the female becomes the sole caregiver for the next six to nine months.  

Where Do Frigatebirds Live?

Frigatebirds live near subtropical and tropical oceans. They build their nests in low-lying vegetation but are often seen in trees, lagoons, coral reefs, and mangroves, where they forage for food. The magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) is common along the Florida coast, the Cape Verde Islands, and the Caribbean. They’re also common along the coast of Mexico down to Ecuador. The Galápagos Islands are also famous for their large frigatebird colonies, especially on Genovesa, San Cristobal, Floreana, and North Seymour. 

The great frigatebird (Fregata minor) enjoys the warm waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans, including Hawaii, where it is known as the ‘Iwa. In contrast, the Christmas frigatebird (Fregata andrewsi), like its name, is unique to Christmas Island.