Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens)
Male Magnificent Frigatebird, Brazil, Sept 2000 - click for larger image Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil

The Magnificent Frigatebird is found on the Atlantic coasts of North and South America largely within the tropics. They are also found off the coast off West Africa around the Cape Verde Islands.
Juvenile Magnificent Frigatebird, Brazil, Sept 2000 - click for larger image They feed on flying fish, squid, jellyfish, fish scraps and baby turtles. Because their feathers are not waterproof, they cannot dive for fish so they take them by dipping their long bills into the surface of the water. They are also kleptoparasites, stealing food from other birds that they chase until they are forced to drop whatever they have in their mouths.

The male, as in the first photo, is all black and his bright red throat pouch is usually hidden unless it has been inflated for its mating displays. The female has a white breast band while juveniles, as in the second photo have the white breast band and a white head.

There is an illustration in HBW, Volume 1, Pages 368, 369, 371 and 372.
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