Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens): Photos, Range and Facts

Overview

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.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Breeds Cape Verde Islands (where almost extirpated), islands from southern Baja California (northwestern Mexico) to Ecuador including Galapagos, and eastern Mexico and far southern Florida through Caribbean to northeastern Brazil; ranges to coastal northern Baja California, Gulf of California, and southward to northern Peru, and to northern Florida and Gulf of Mexico.

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.

Magnificent Frigatebird

Overview

Range and habitat

Continents

Countries

Sources and further reading