Lesser Frigatebird - BirdForum Opus

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Photo © by Tom Tarrant
Lady Elliot Island, Queensland, December 2003

Fregata ariel

Distribution

Pantropical with breeding colonies widely scattered.

Accidental vagrant to the United States with records in Maine, Michigan, Wyoming, and California.

Taxonomy

Female
Photo © by martinuk
Matava Resort, Kadavu, Fiji, April 2017

This is a polytypic species^[1] consisting of three subspecies^[1]:

• F. a. ariel:

• Islands in Indian and Pacific oceans

• F. a. trinitatis:

• Trindade Island and Martín Vaz Island; wanders to coastal Brazil

• F. a. iredalei:

• Mascarene Islands; disperses to coasts of India and Somalia

References

Male
Photo © by peterday
Lady Elliot Island, Queensland, Australia, 12 November 2019

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Birdforum thread discussing id of Frigatebirds

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Lesser Frigatebird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 15 March 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Lesser_Frigatebird

External Links

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