Magnificent Frigatebirds are a type of seabird with the largest wingspan-to-weight ratio of any bird. They have a wingspan of up to 7.5 feet and a body length of 89-114 cm. Frigatebirds are mostly black birds but the females have a white underbelly and the males have a large red gular pouch which can be ballooned up. They balloon up this pouch on land to cool off and to attract mates. The Magnificent Frigatebirds have a more complicated mating routine than any other seabird. They get together in groups of 10-30 males, inflate their gular pouches, spread their wings, tilt their beaks to the females flying above, make a drumming or whistling sound, and swivel back and forth. The females swoop down to the mate of their choosing and copulate.

The nesting of Frigate birds is interesting. Frigatebirds nest in colonies with each couple’s nests close to each other. The male gathers the twigs for the nest and the female puts it together, this process can take 13 days. The nest is a flimsy platform of about 9-14 inches wide. These birds nest above the ground on bushes and trees in tropical and subtropical locations. These birds take a long time to raise and the parents are monogamous for at least three months. Both parents incubate the egg for 44-51 days, one of the longest incubation periods of all birds, and they don’t leave the nest until after it’s hatched. After the nacked and helpless bird is hatched, the father and mother will find food for their young and the father will leave after about three months. The mother keeps feeding the baby for longer and the total breeding period for the females is about a year. The mothers generally mate only every other year since this process takes so long. The females take a year to just raise a single egg, but at least the birds live a long time. No one knows how long they live but there has been a sighting of a Frigatebird of at least 44 years of age. Seabirds are known to live a very long time, perhaps that’s why they reach sexual maturity so late. Females reach it at around 8 and males at about 10.

Magnificent Frigatebirds are amazing flyers. They can stay in the air for over a month without stopping and they can go incredibly long distances without flapping their wings. Their wings ride the air so they fly at high altitudes and sometimes they sleep while ascending to higher distances. They use their forked tail to steer themselves while flying. They are often found near bodies of water and they swoop close to the water to clean themselves and to drink. The Magnificent Frigatebirds are great fliers but they’re terrible at walking and swimming. Unlike most other seabirds, the feathers of the Magnificent Frigatebird aren’t waterproof and getting them wet would worsen their flying. In addition, Magnificent Frigatebirds have short and stubby legs so they can barely walk. This comes out when they finish flying because they have clumsy landings from their flight.

Because the Magnificent Frigatebird doesn’t get its wings wet, it has to swoop low and get fish that are chased to the surface by bigger fish, like tuna. The Magnificent Frigatebirds eat mostly small fish but they also eat squid and crustaceans. They have been found stalking around fishing boats and docks for the fish they pick up. They sometimes take young turtles and young of other birds, sometimes including other seabirds. Frigatebirds participate in a behavior known as kleptoparasites, this means the birds often steal from other seabirds. They harass other birds by chasing them continually and forcing them to regurgitate their recently eaten food. They catch this food before it goes into the water. Sometimes the birds just wait above colonies of other types of birds for the parents to bring it food. Magnificent Frigatebirds have a hooked bill which makes them very good at catching fish without getting wet. This species is doing pretty well in terms of population even though they don’t breed often, this may be because of how formidable they are in finding food. Frigatebirds have been known to be docile to humans and have sometimes let humans touch them. These birds are a big tourist attraction and they would allow a human to feed them.

Magnificent Frigatebirds are impressive birds as they aren’t average in any way.