Fregata magnificens
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens), frigate petrel or man o' war is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae. With a length of 89–114 centimetres (2 ft 11 in – 3 ft 9 in) and wingspan of 2.17–2.44 m (7 ft 1 in – 8 ft 0 in), it is the largest species of frigatebird. It occurs over tropical and subtropical waters off America, between northern Mexico and Peru on the Pacific coast and between Florida and southern Brazil along the Atlantic coast. There are also populations on the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific and the Cape Verde islands in the Atlantic. It is one of the fastest birds in the world, flying at speeds of up to 153 kilometres (95 mi) per hour.
The magnificent frigatebird is a large, 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 magnificent frigatebird... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rio de Janeiro | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Niterói | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Maracaibo | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 4 | Santos | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Vitória | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Havana | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 8 | Guayaquil | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 9 | Salvador | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Santo Domingo | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aquarium of Veracruz | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Seaside Seabird Sanctuary | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Magnificent Frigatebird sighting in Main Ridge Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 581 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 20th most-seen of the 103 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Magnificent Frigatebird in Main Ridge Forest Reserve on a given day, against about 20% in June, the lowest month.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Magnificent 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.
9th of 49
Of the 49 parks where we can rate Magnificent Frigatebird sightings, Main Ridge Forest Reserve ranks 9th at about 50%. The best odds are in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 90%), Galápagos Islands (Ecuador, about 80%) and Celestún Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Suliformes
The closest relatives of the Magnificent Frigatebird that you can see in Main Ridge Forest Reserve (order Suliformes, Gannets, Cormorants, and Allies) are Brown Booby (about 10%) and Red-footed Booby (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Magnificent Frigatebird is recorded against all the birds logged in Main Ridge Forest Reserve (581 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
