How Big Are Frigate Birds?

Frigatebirds are large seabirds with beaks similar to those of pelicans, but with pouches that do not attach to the bottom of their beaks. They are similar in size to pelicans but have larger beaks and wingspans. They have the largest wing-area-to-body-weight ratio of any bird, allowing them to soar continuously and rarely flap their wings. One great frigatebird, being tracked by satellite in the Indian Ocean, stayed aloft for two months. They can fly higher than 4,000 meters and can soar effortlessly on tropical breezes with hardly a flap using its deeply forked tail to steer.

The magnificent frigatebird is the largest of all the frigatebird species, measuring between 35 and 45 inches (89 and 114 cm). It has extremely long, slender wings, a deeply forked tail, and a long, sturdy bill. Adult males are all black, and adult females are marked with white below. The first state record was from the interior at Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge in July 1975.

Frigatebirds are mostly black, but females and young birds have varying appearances. The magnificent frigatebird, which measures 3.6 feet long, is only about 2 inches longer than the great frigatebird, a virtually imperceptible difference from the great frigatebird. Frigatebirds are the only seabirds in which the male and female look strikingly different. Females may not have the male’s bright red pouch, but they are bigger.

An average adult man is roughly only 5.9 ft (1.7 m) tall, meaning that a magnificent frigatebird can have a wingspan 2 ft (0.6 m) longer than a man is tall. These massive seabirds are found in warm tropical oceans and coastlines, with males completely black with an extremely long, deeply forked tail and angular wings.