Frigate Bird

We were on a boat to Islas Plazas, and we saw these 3 Frigate birds hovering above us.  It felt like we could reach out and tickle their bellies!  We decided to lie down and get a better look at them while they were flying.  They weren't even trying to flap their wings but were going as fast as the boat. 



The males have a red throat that sometimes puffs up like a balloon to show off to the girls and the females have a white throat.   

Their wingspan is 2 metres. they are the lightest bird in the Galapagos for their size.  If they dive in the water, they don't have enough oil on their wings to make the wings dry quickly, so if they get their wings wet, they would get very heavy and sink. So they have to be very mean to the blue-footed boobies and the tropic birds.  The tropic birds and boobies catch the fish, then the frigate birds fly down to bite their tail feathers. They get them in real pain so that they are forced to drop the fish that are in their mouths, and even if swallowed they will regurgitate the fish. The fish may still be alive and the frigate bird has to catch it before it hits the water. 

By Frankie