The Indian Subcontinent provides suitable habitats to various species of birds for residing and nesting. Frigatebirds are no exception in this regard. Lesser Frigatebird, Great Frigatebird and Christmas Frigatebird are the Frigatebirds which have been recorded in India. They belong to the kingdom, Animalia; phylum, Chordata; class, Aves; order, Suliformes; family Fregatidae and genus, Fregata. These Frigatebirds are described below.
Lesser Frigatebird
The dominant color on the body of the male Lesser Frigatebird is black. There is a white patch on the flank which extends on to the underwing as a spur. There is a pale bar present on the upper wing of the bird. The striking red gular sac is extended by the bird to attract a mate. Its female counterpart has a black head and neck with a white collar and breast. It has a white-colored belly. There is a spur extending on to the underwing of the bird. The female has a narrow red ring around the eye. Lesser Frigatebird is termed as a medium sized bird. The length of the male ranges from 65 to 80 cm and its weight ranges from 600 to 900 grams. The spurs of white in the armpits of the juveniles and immature birds help to identify them. Lesser Frigatebird is a bird which depends mainly on fish, especially flying fish for survival.
Great Frigatebird
The dominant color on the body of the large bird called Great Frigatebird is black. The female bird has white feathers on the throat and chest. The male scapular feathers have a purple-green sheen. The gular sac in the male is distensible and is strikingly bright red in color. The male bird measures 80 to 100cm in length and weighs 1,000 to 1,450 grams. The female is larger than the male and weighs 1,200 to 1,650 grams. The wingspan is 180 to 230 cm. The Great Frigatebird depends on squids, flying fish, etc for survival.
Christmas Frigatebird
The bird Christmas Frigatebird has been labeled as "Critically Endangered" by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). The dominant color on the body of Christmas Frigatebird is black. There is a white belly patch present on the bird. The tail of the bird is forked. The male frigatebird has a red gular pouch. Its bill can be described as long and hooked. The male bird weighs about 1,400 gram, whereas the female bird weighs about 1,400 gram. The female frigatebird is slightly larger than the male frigatebird. Christmas Frigatebird plucks the prey out of water. It consumes squids, flying fish and other marine animals.
