Christmas Frigatebird

The Christmas Island frigatebird is a large, lightly built seabird with brownish-black plumage, long narrow wings and a deeply forked tail. It breeds only on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. It is 89 to 100 cm long with a wingspan of 205 to 230 cm and weighs about 1,550 g. The male has an egg-shaped white patch on the belly and a red throat pouch that he inflates to attract a mate; the female is slightly larger with a white breast and belly (Wikipedia, general species account).

It takes fish, mostly flying fish, from the ocean surface in flight, and sometimes harasses other birds into giving up food. Genetic analysis shows it is most closely related to the great frigatebird (Wikipedia, general species account).