Fregata ariel
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
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 |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Frigatebird sighting in Raja Ampat on a given day, based on 805 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 200 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 and January
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Frigatebird in Raja Ampat on a given day, against about 40% in July, the lowest month.
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 4 parks where we can rate Lesser Frigatebird sightings, Raja Ampat has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Komodo National Park (Indonesia, about 40%) and Tangkoko Nature Reserve (Indonesia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lesser Frigatebird is recorded against all the birds logged in Raja Ampat (805 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.
