FRIGATEBIRDS 
OF THE PACIFIC 
Although three species of fri- 
gatebird occur in the Pacific ocean, 
only two, the Great Frigatebird and 
the Lesser Frigatebird, are widely 
distributed. The third, the Magni- 
ficent Frigatebird, occurs only a- 
long the west coast of North Ameri- 
ca and in the Galapagos Islands. 
So similar are the Greater and 
Lesser Frigatebirds in appearance, 
that the immature birds cannot be 
identified surely without comparing 
them to museum specimens. The 
adults, however, may be identified 
with reasonable accuracy. The male 
Lesser Frigate has a triangular 
white patch under the wing and 
against the side of the body which 
is very conspicuous when the bird 
is in flight. In the Greater Fri- 
gate, this patch, while somewhat 
lighter than the body, is never 
light as in the Lesser Frigate. 
Females of the two species are very 
similar. The grey throat of the 
Lesser Frigate female terminates 
abruptly at the black breast while, 
in the Greater Frigate female, the 
throat blends dnto the black breast. 
Frigates may be identified eas- 
ily by their flight which is a 
glide so effortless as to last for 
hours. In flight the deeply forked 
tail opens and closes like a scis- 
sors. Frigates do not commonly 
land on water, lacking the oil and 
webbed feet of many water birds, 
but rather prefer to snatch their 
food from the water f s surface . 
Perhaps the frigate ’ s most un- 
endearing trait is that it is a 
robber bird, diving at boobies in 
flight and catching in mid-air the 
prey which the booby has dropped. 
Frigates also dive on nests to 
snatch the young of both boobies 
and other frigates, bearing it a 
loft to be eaten in mid-air. The 
frigate is not altogether a vil- 
lain, however, for its remarkable 
homing instinct is utilized by is- 
landers to carry messages, much in 
the manner of a homing pigeon. 
The Pacific Project has discov- 
ered large numbers of lesser Fri- 
gatebirds breeding in the Phoenix 
Islands, an area from which they 
had not been recorded previously. 
In addition, the band returns on 
this species have contributed much 
new information to the distribution 
of the bird. Much more information 
still is needed, however^ on the 
breeding status and relative num- 
bers of both the Greater and Lesser 
Frigatebirds in areas such as the 
Samoan, Caroline, Gilbert, Marshall, 
Society, and other island groups of 
the Pacific. 
