Alternative name: Christmas Frigatebird
- Fregata andrewsi
Identification
90-100 cm
- Black plumage
- White belly
- Pale upperwing bar
Male
- Red gular pouch
- Small white belly patch
- Long, dark grey, hooked bill
Female
- Black head, throat and spur on sides of upper breast
- White collar, breast and belly
- Pink bill
- Red orbital ring
Distribution
Christmas Island. Ranges to south China Sea and Australia. Occurs regularly around the coasts of the Greater Sundas as far north as the north coast of Sabah, Borneo.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Forests.
Behaviour
Breeding
It nests in tall trees.
Diet
The diet includes flying fish, squid and other marine creatures, taken on the wing from the ocean surface.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- BirdLife International (2022) Species factsheet: Fregata andrewsi. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 16/04/2022/ BirdLife International
- Birdforum thread discussing id of Frigatebirds
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Christmas Island Frigatebird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Christmas_Island_Frigatebird
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
