Fregata magnificens
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days >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 |
Very likely
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Magnificent Frigatebird sighting in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 1,140 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 216 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, August and October–January
In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Magnificent Frigatebird in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against about 70% in May and September, the lowest months.
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.
Yes
Of the 49 parks where we can rate Magnificent Frigatebird sightings, Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 90%. Next come 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 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (order Suliformes, Gannets, Cormorants, and Allies) are Double-crested Cormorant (about 80%), Bigua cormorant (about 60%) and Anhinga (about 40%), 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 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (1,140 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.
