Male Magnificent Frigatebird
by Catherine Sherman
Title
Male Magnificent Frigatebird
Artist
Catherine Sherman
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
"Male Magnificent Frigatebird" by Catherine Sherman.
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.
Featured in "3 a Day AAA Images" group (05/01/2015); "Birds of the World" group (03/05/2022)
Uploaded
April 29th, 2015
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Viewed 174 Times - Last Visitor from Lisle, IL on 04/10/2024 at 9:40 AM
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Comments (3)
Carl Purcell
Maybe his grandmother knew Darwin.
Catherine Sherman replied:
Darwin saw so many amazing animals and places. He certainly would have enjoyed meeting this bird's ancestors! I read this quote of Darwin recently: "The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man."
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