Fregata minor
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The great frigatebird (Fregata minor) is a large seabird in the frigatebird family. There are major nesting populations in the tropical Pacific Ocean, such as Hawaii and the Galápagos Islands; in the Indian Ocean, colonies can be found in the Seychelles (on Aldabra and Aride Islands) and Mauritius, and there is a tiny population in the South Atlantic, mostly on and around St. Helena and Boatswain Bird Island (Ascension Island).
The great frigatebird is a large and lightly built seabird up to 105 cm long with predominantly black plumage. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism; the female is larger than the adult male and has a white throat and breast, and the male's scapular feathers have a purple-green sheen. In the breeding season, the male is able to distend his striking red gular sac. The species feeds on fish taken in flight from the ocean's surface (mostly flying fish), and indulges in kleptoparasitism less frequently than other frigatebirds. They feed in pelagic waters within 80 km (50 mi) of their breeding colony or roosting areas.
The great frigatebird was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isla del Coco National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Komodo National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Tangkoko Nature Reserve | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 6 | Bali Barat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sea Life Park Hawaii | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Great Frigatebird sighting in Raja Ampat on a given day, based on 76 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 117th most-seen of the 200 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, June–August and October–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Great Frigatebird in Raja Ampat on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, April–May and September, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Great 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.
3rd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Great Frigatebird sightings, Raja Ampat ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Isla del Coco National Park (Costa Rica, over 90%) and Galápagos Islands (Ecuador, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Great Frigatebird is recorded against all the birds logged in Raja Ampat (76 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.
