Bird Album
Lesser Frigatebird
Fregata ariel (Gray, GR, 1845)
≈77 cmLength804 gWeight
This black seabird has long wings and a deeply forked tail, with a bright red gular pouch in the male and a white breast patch in the female.
Busiest months: August–November · Most records: Indonesia, French Polynesia, China
How to identify
Field marks
- Wings long and pointed, tail deeply forked
- Bill long and hooked
- Male has a red gular pouch and white underwing patches in the breeding season
- Female has white patches on the breast and belly extending to the nape
Male, female and young
In the breeding season, male has a red gular pouch and white underwing patches; female has large white patches on the breast and belly and pink or red skin around the eyes; juvenile has an apricot-yellow or brown head and breast, with a white nape.
Where and when it's recorded
Lesser Frigatebird has been recorded at 302 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 41 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Pulau Mantanani BesarMalaysia252 records
- TetiaroaFrench Polynesia251 records
- ArideSeychelles146 records
More places
- Yeliu IBATaiwan (China)126 records
- West IslandCocos (Keeling) Islands109 records
- Tangkoko Batuangus NR – Forest andIndonesia99 records
- Airport BayIndonesia98 records
- Tetepare Nature PreserveSolomon Islands90 records
- Bora BoraFrench Polynesia86 records
- Bird IslandSeychelles78 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The lesser frigatebird (Fregata ariel) is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae. Around 75 cm (30 in) in length, it is the smallest species of frigatebird. It occurs over tropical and subtropical waters across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, as well as off the Atlantic coast of Brazil.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Lesser Frigatebird?
The Lesser Frigatebird is about ≈77 cm long and weighs around 804 g.
Where does the Lesser Frigatebird live?
Its breeding range: Tropical Oceans: widespread, tropical Indian and Pacific ocean islands, also northwestern South Atlantic. It is most often recorded in Indonesia, French Polynesia and China.
When is the best time to see the Lesser Frigatebird?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in August, September, October and November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Lesser Frigatebird endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Lesser Frigatebird as Least Concern.
What does the Lesser Frigatebird eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Lesser Frigatebird in?
It belongs to the family Frigatebirds (Fregatidae), order Suliformes.
At a glance
- Length
- ≈77 cm
- Weight
- 804 g
- Habitat
- Ocean
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Feeds in the air
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 513 mm
- Tail
- 277 mm
- Bill
- 91 mm
- Tarsus
- 15 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Tropical Oceans: widespread, tropical Indian and Pacific ocean islands, also northwestern South Atlantic
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Suliformes
- Family
- Frigatebirds Fregatidae
- Genus
- Fregata
Other birds in the genus Fregata
Ascension FrigatebirdFregata aquila
Magnificent FrigatebirdFregata magnificens
Great FrigatebirdFregata minor
Christmas FrigatebirdFregata andrewsi
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Loup Lefebvre Boulet. ↗
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