Galapagos: Frigatebirds on North Seymour

There are two species of frigate birds in Galapagos – Magnificent and Greater (both very similar). On North Seymour island, there is a large ad spectacular colony of both, and you can see plenty of adults and chicks as well as birds in the air. Males have a spectacular red pouch that they inflate to look “attractive”. Chicks can be distinguished by white heads. Frigate birds have wingspans of 2.5 meters and have the highest wingspan-to-weight ratio of all birds. They are also known as “man of war” birds for their pirate behavior of attacking other birds (mostly boobies) to force them to dislodge their food, as frigate birds don’t dive for fish themselves. Frigate birds are also the top carnivores of turtle hatchlings and scoop them as soon as they come out from the sand.
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