Great frigatebird

The great frigatebird was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it in the genus Pelecanus and coined the binomial name Pelecanus minor. Gmelin based his description on the "lesser frigate pelican" that had been described in 1785 by the English ornithologist John Latham in his book A General Synopsis of Birds. Latham, in turn, largely based his account on the "man of war bird" that had been described and illustrated by the English naturalist George Edwards in 1760. The great frigatebird is now one of five closely related species of frigatebird that make up their own genus (Fregata) and family (Fregatidae). Its closest relative, within the group, is the Christmas Island frigatebird (Fregata andrewsi). Due to the rules of taxonomy, the species name of minor has been retained. This has led to the discrepancy of minor (Latin for "smaller") in contrast with its common name. A Late Pleistocene fossilised wing phalanx and proximal end of humerus (indistinguishable from the extant great frigatebird) were recovered from Ulupau Head on Oahu. Subspecies Five subspecies are usually recognised: • F. m. aldabrensis Mathews, 1914. West Indian Ocean (Aldabra, Comoros, Europa Island) • F. m. minor (J. F. Gmelin, 1789). Central and East Indian Ocean to South China Sea • F. m. palmerstoni (J. F. Gmelin, 1789). West and Central Pacific Ocean (Caroline Island, Marshall Islands, Hawaiian Islands, Palmyra atoll, Phoenix Islands, Line Islands including Kiritimati (Christmas Island), Marquesas Islands, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Pitcairn Islands and Isla Salas y Gómez) • F. m. ridgwayi Mathews, 1914. East Pacific Ocean (Revillagigedo Islands, Cocos Island, Galápagos Islands) • F. m. nicolli Mathews, 1914. South Atlantic (Trindade and Martim Vaz) ==Description==

The great frigatebird measures in length and has a wingspan of . , Ecuador Frigatebirds have long narrow pointed wings and a long narrow deeply forked tail. They have the highest ratio of wing area to body mass and the lowest wing loading of any bird. This has been hypothesized to enable the birds to use marine thermals created by small differences between tropical air and water temperatures. The plumage of males is black with scapular feathers that have a green iridescence when they refract sunlight. Females are black with a white throat and breast and have a red eye ring. Juveniles are black with a rust-tinged white face, head, and throat. ==Distribution and habitat==

The great frigatebird has a wide distribution throughout the world's tropical seas. Hawaii is the northernmost extent of their range in the Pacific Ocean, with around 10,000 pairs nesting mostly in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. In the Central and South Pacific, colonies are found on most island groups from Wake Island to the Galápagos to New Caledonia with a few pairs nesting on Australian possessions in the Coral Sea. Colonies are also found on numerous Indian Ocean islands, the most well-known include the Seychelles islands of Aldabra and Aride, Christmas Island, the Maldives and Mauritius. The Atlantic population is very small, restricted to Ascension Island, St. Helena, and the Brazilian islands of Trindade and Martin Vaz. Great frigatebirds undertake regular migrations across their range, both regular trips and more infrequent widespread dispersals. Birds marked with wing tags on Tern Island in the French Frigate Shoals were found to regularly travel to Johnston Atoll (873 km), one was reported in Quezon City in the Philippines. Despite their extended range, birds also exhibit philopatry, breeding in their natal colony even if they travel to other colonies. ==Behaviour==

Feeding chick dropped by another bird The great frigatebird forages in pelagic waters within 80 km (50 mi) of the breeding colony or roosting areas. Flying fish from the family Exocoetidae are the most common item in the diet of the great frigatebird; other fish species and squid may be eaten as well. Prey is snatched while in flight, either from just below the surface or from the air in the case of flying fish flushed from the water. Great frigatebirds will make use of schools of predatory tuna or pods of dolphins that push schooling fish to the surface. Great frigatebirds will also hunt seabird chicks at their breeding colonies, taking mostly the chicks of sooty terns, spectacled terns, brown noddies, black noddies and even from other great frigatebirds. If the egg is lost the pair bond breaks; females may acquire a new mate and lay again in that year. Both parents incubate the egg in shifts that last between 3–6 days; the length of shift varies by location, although female shifts are longer than those of males. Incubation can be energetically demanding, birds have been recorded losing between 20 and 33% of their body mass during a shift. Incubation lasts for around 55 days. Great frigatebird chicks begin calling a few days before hatching and rub their egg tooth against the shell. The altricial chicks are naked and helpless, and lie prone for several days after hatching. Chicks are brooded for two weeks after hatching after which they are covered in white down, and guarded by a parent for another fortnight after that. Chicks are given numerous meals a day after hatching, once older they are fed every one to two days. Feeding is by regurgitation, the chick sticks its head inside the adult's mouth. Parental care is prolonged in great frigatebirds. Fledging occurs after four to six months, the timing dependent on oceanic conditions and food availability. The average lifespan is unknown but is assumed to be relatively long. As part of a study conducted in 2002 on Tern Island in Hawaii, 35 ringed great frigatebirds were recaptured. Of these 10 were 37 years or older and one was at least 44 years old. ==Status==

Because of the large overall total population and extended range, the species is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being of Least Concern. The Trindade archipelago is part of a Brazilian military area and the human population consists only of a few Brazilian Navy personnel, limiting easy access for ornithologists. Once abundant, it has disappeared as a breeding bird from the main island of Trindade, The main island was once covered in forest but after this was destroyed, overgrazing by the introduced goats prevented any recovery. A series of eradication programs in the second half of the 20th century eliminated all the introduced vertebrates other than house mice. Feral cats that had seriously depleted ground nesting birds were finally eradicated in 1998. In Brazil, the only country where F. m. nicolli survives, the great frigatebird is considered critically endangered. ==Gallery==

Male greater frigate bird in flight.jpg| Male in flight, Galápagos Islands Fregata minor-juvenile male soaring.jpg|Juvenile male in flight Great frigatebird Lady Elliot Island, Queensland.jpg| Female in flight File:Great frigatebird (Fregata minor).jpg| Another female in flight Fragata común (Fregata minor), isla Lobos, islas Galápagos, Ecuador, 2015-07-25, DD 58.JPG|Male, Galápagos Islands Fragata común (Fregata minor), isla Lobos, islas Galápagos, Ecuador, 2015-07-25, DD 55.JPG|Female, Galápagos Islands ==References==