Magnificent Frigatebird: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Seabirds · day 4 of 7

Five facts

1. Magnificent frigatebirds can reach 153 km/h, among the fastest birds on the planet.
2. A frigatebird can stay in the air for days at a time, covering up to 223 km before touching down.
3. Frigatebirds ride rising warm air to save energy, sometimes climbing as high as 2,500 m before gliding back down to the sea.
4. To show he is ready to breed, a male inflates a vivid scarlet throat pouch that hangs like a balloon.
5. The Galápagos frigatebirds have been cut off from mainland birds for several hundred thousand years, with no gene flow detected.

The quiz

1. What top speed can a magnificent frigatebird reach?

• 53 km/h
• 15 km/h
• 153 km/h (correct)
• 300 km/h

It can reach 153 km/h.

2. How far can it travel before touching down?

• Up to 223 km (correct)
• Up to 2 km
• Up to 22 km
• Up to 2,230 km

It can cover up to 223 km in the air.

3. How high can it sometimes climb on rising warm air?

• About 25 m
• About 2,500 m (correct)
• About 250 m
• About 25,000 m

It sometimes climbs as high as 2,500 m.

4. What does a male inflate to attract a female?

• A scarlet throat pouch (correct)
• His wings
• A blue chest
• His tail

He inflates a vivid scarlet throat pouch.

5. How long have Galápagos frigatebirds been cut off from the mainland?

• A few years
• About a century
• Ten thousand years
• Several hundred thousand years (correct)

They have been isolated for several hundred thousand years.

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