Fregata ariel
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
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 Mumbai on a given day, based on 212 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 154th most-seen of the 283 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Frigatebird in Mumbai on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months. That is one of Mumbai's wettest months, with about 830 mm of rain against almost none in January.
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.
Among the best
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Lesser Frigatebird sightings, Mumbai ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Denpasar (Indonesia, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lesser Frigatebird is recorded against all the birds logged in Mumbai (212 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.
