Male Magnificent Frigate Bird Postcard

A male Magnificent Frigatebird shows off his brilliant red throat (gular) pouch during breeding season in the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador. Male frigatebirds need fly to inflate their gular pouches to attract a female as a mate. A long-winged, fork-tailed bird of tropical oceans, the agile Magnificent Frigatebird breeds mostly south of the United States, but wanders northward along the coasts during nonbreeding season. Because this bird likes to steal food from other birds, it has been named after the pirate frigate ships of old. The bird can’t swim, has short legs making it difficult to walk and has little protective oil on its feathers. It snatches food from the surface of the ocean with its curved beak avoiding the water. Having the largest wingspan-to-body-weight ratio of any bird, they are essentially aerial, able to stay aloft for long periods, landing only to roost or breed on trees or cliffs. They are very lightweight, allowing them to roost on small shrubs.