Fregata ariel
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The lesser frigatebird (Fregata ariel) is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae. Around 75 cm (30 in) in length, it is the smallest species of frigatebird. It occurs over tropical and subtropical waters across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, as well as off the Atlantic coast of Brazil.
The lesser frigatebird is a lightly built seabird with brownish-black plumage, long, narrow wings, and a deeply forked tail. The male has a striking red gular sac, which he inflates to attract a mate. The female is slightly larger than the male and has a white breast and belly. Frigatebirds feed on fish taken in flight from the ocean's surface (often flying fish), and sometimes indulge in kleptoparasitism, harassing other birds to force them to regurgitate their food.
The lesser frigatebird was first described as Atagen ariel by English zoologist George Gray in 1845 from a specimen collected on Raine Island, Queensland, Australia. The lesser frigatebird is one of five closely related species of the genus Fregata. The other four are the great frigatebird (F. minor), Christmas frigatebird (F. andrewsi), magnificent frigatebird (F. magnificens), and Ascension frigatebird (F. aquila... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Komodo National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 3 | Tangkoko Nature Reserve | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Bali Barat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Frigatebird sighting in Denpasar on a given day, based on 60 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 66th most-seen of the 109 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Frigatebird in Denpasar on a given day, against under 5% in February–August and November, the lowest months. That is one of Denpasar's wettest months, with about 270 mm of rain against 25 mm in August.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Frigatebird sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Lesser Frigatebird sightings, Denpasar has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Mumbai (India, under 5%) and Shanghai (China, under 5%).
Same order: Suliformes
The closest relatives of the Lesser Frigatebird that you can see in Denpasar (order Suliformes, Gannets, Cormorants, and Allies) are Little Pied Cormorant (about 60%), Little Black Cormorant (about 50%) and Little Cormorant (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lesser Frigatebird is recorded against all the birds logged in Denpasar (60 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
