What does great Frigate birds eat?13 Stunning Facts About The Frigate Bird That You Do Not Know .
The Frigate birds are widely known not only for their large size or graceful flight. But also for the violent way they behave when they are hungry.
They are classified as Kleptoparasites because they are fond of forcefully robbing other smaller birds of their preys. They do this in a very stunning but violent way…
In this article you will be learning some interesting facts about Frigid birds…. So let’s start with!
Contents
For how long can a frigate birds fly?
Records have it that during their roving flights, adult frigate birds can keep flying for months at 250 miles per day without settling down on water or land.
They have a very long wingspan. Their broad, lightweight wings are larger than that of any other bird when compared with their body size.
This gives them the ability to soar to a very high altitude using the slightest breezes. They also merited from the air and winds current moving over the ocean,these two currents do the most work of lifting the frigate birds.
Hence, making flying to great heights and distances for hours, days, weeks and even months for the Frigate birds seems almost effortlessly done.
How large are their wings?
The Frigate birds are one of the birds with the greatest wingspan in the history of birds. Their wingspan is measured to be about 150 cm – 250 cm.
What does great Frigate birds eat?
Frigate birds are carnivores. Their main prey is fish. They also feed on squids, jellyfish, crustaceans, and other smaller birds.
They are Kleptoparasites.
This is an ecological adventure whereby a stronger creature forcefully takes food from a weaker one. The frigate birds are fond of stealing prey from other birds.
Their tail feathers which are structurally long and deeply forked is used in carrying out this act of theft.
When they are hungry, they would catch other birds (especially the boobies and tropicbirds) mid-flight,
wriggle them vigorously until they vomit their last mean or give up what they have with them.
The frigate would then catch the food and eat. What a bully these birds are!
what animals eat the frigate birds?
Frigate birds are aerial, most of their lives are spent flying. As a result of their relatively large size, great speed when compared with other bird, they do not have any natural predator in the air.
however, on land, cats, rats and Human beings attack them or their egg.
Can Frigate birds sleep While flying?
Here is a striking feature about the frigate birds, they can sleep while flying!
Researches has it that frigate birds sleep for about 42minutes mid-flight. This is done in small bouts of 10 seconds, that is they sleep for 10 seconds at a time to make a total of 42minutes in a day. This is usually done at night.
When they sleep mid-flight, they do so with only a side of their brain, the other side is left awake.
This is not in a bid to stay at alert to avoid predators since they are large birds with only a few natural predators.
They do this feat to avoid mid-air collision which is not often.
Are the magnificent frigate birds endangered?
No, they are not. As a matter of fact, out of the 5 species of frigates that exists, three (the Magnificent, Great and Lesser Frigate birds) can be found throughout the world along with tropical and semitropical coasts and islands.
However, the other two (Christmas island and Ascension Island frigate birds) are endangered. This is because they only build their breeding territory on one small island each resulting in their limited population.
In breeding season, the male Frigate birds are capable of puffing up their red throats, it can be as large as a person’s head. This is a courtship behaviour use in attracting a potential mating partner.
13 amazing things about the Frigate birds.
Here are some amazing things about the frigate birds
The lifespan of a Frigate bird.
Frigate birds are found all over the world along tropical and semi tropical coasts and islands andThey can live up to about 15 – 25years.
Why are they called The Frigate birds?
The Frigate birds got the name from an old warship called “The Frigate”
The word Frigate comes from the French word “La Frégate”, which means a fast warship. In the 17th – 19th centuries, the frigates are old warships built for their great speed and flexibility. They are big and powerful.
They were given the by French mariners because they are large, strong and fast just like the warship.
They are also called “the man of war” birds and “the pirate birds” because of their ability to soar high and their violent routine of pirating food from other birds respectively.
How fast is the Frigate bird?
They are very fast just like the warships they are named after. These birds have been recorded to move at an average speed of 95mph (153 km/h).
They are Ironically Seabirds.
The Frigate birds are seabirds but alas! They cannot swim!
Dissimilar to most seabirds, they cannot swim because their feathers are not waterproof hence if they dive into the water, they get wet and would be unable to fly and eventually drown.
The Gular Pouches.
The big red skin part of a male frigate bird is called the gular pouch or gular sac. It is more like a sexual trait.
During breeding, the males puff up their gular sacs and drum on them with their clucking bills. They do this to attract the female frigates looking for a mating partner into their display sites.
The females would make a diligent assessment of the males presenting themselves and then choose a partner afterwards.
The gular sac when fully expanded is as big as a person’s head!
How many egg(s) does a frigate bird lay?
After the scout for a partner is over and the couple has mated. The Females lays only one egg in their nest.
They both incubate the egg for about 2months. The chick is hatched and remains in the nest for 6months, after which it is ready to fly.
One fantastic fact about the female frigate birds is that they can use up to one and a half years to nurture their chick before it sets out to explore the world on their own. What wonderful parent they are!
Frigates do not have life partners.