Great Frigatebird Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Great Frigatebird’s official name, its colloquial name “man-o-war bird,” and its Hawaiian name “Iwa” (meaning “thief”) all refer to this bird’s habit of chasing other birds until they regurgitate recently captured food, which the frigatebird then catches before it hits the water. This thievery is reminiscent of pirates who used highly maneuverable frigates, or man-o-war ships, to loot other vessels centuries ago.

Researchers knew little about Great Frigatebird movements at sea until the 2010s, when a new generation of location devices began to provide details. Birds nesting on Europa Island between Africa and Madagascar migrated 5,000+ km (3,100+ miles) to sites in the Indian Ocean. Birds breeding on New Caledonia migrated less than 2,000 km (1,200 miles) to sites elsewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Birds nesting in the Galapagos Islands stayed near their breeding sites all year.

Great Frigatebirds play with sticks as fledglings. One fledgling picks up a stick and flies upward, with a second young bird chasing after the first until it drops the stick. The second bird then swoops down to chase the stick before it hits the ground or water.

Like many seabirds, Great Frigatebirds are long-lived birds, with a lifespan of 30–40 years.

Basic Description

Other Names