# Great Frigatebird

*Fregata minor*

They have the largest wing-area-to-body-weight ratio of any bird and can sleep in mid-air using one half of their brain at a time.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Suliformes › Fregatidae › Fregata
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** decreasing
- **Biome:** aquatic
- **Habitat:** Tropical and subtropical oceans and remote oceanic islands.
- **Diet:** Flying fish, squid, and food stolen from other seabirds through kleptoparasitism.
- **Range:** Galápagos Islands, Hawaii, Seychelles, Christmas Island, Great Barrier Reef
- **Size:** Wingspan of 2.1 to 2.4 meters; weight 1 to 1.6 kilograms.
- **Lifespan:** 30-40 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Invasive predators (rats/cats) on nesting islands, habitat degradation, and overfishing of prey species.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless but defensive. Maintain a distance of at least 15 meters, especially during nesting seasons. Do not attempt to touch or feed. If pecked, clean the wound with soap and water and monitor for infection.

## About

The great frigatebird ( Fregata minor ) is a large seabird in the frigatebird family. Major nesting populations are found in the Pacific (including the Galapagos Islands) and Indian Oceans, as well as a population in the South Atlantic.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/78b059ac-5c77-4ed9-8c89-8ab146a6eb48
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/4636
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fregata minor
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/5344029/medium.jpg (James Weaver, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.