Lesser Frigatebird
Fregata ariel
LCLeast Concern
- Family
- Frigatebirds (Fregatidae)
- Order
- Suliformes
Overview
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.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Countries
- Australia
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Cambodia
- Christmas Island
- Comoros
- Cook Islands
- Fiji
- French Polynesia
- Indonesia
- Kiribati
- Madagascar
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritius
- Nauru
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Norfolk Island
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- Philippines
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- United States
- Vanuatu
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Lesser frigatebird
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
