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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Fregatidae
  4. ›
  5. Fregata
  6. ›
  7. Christmas Frigatebird

BirdUp · Species

Christmas Frigatebird

Fregata andrewsiMathews, 1914

Conservation status: Critically EndangeredOrigin: Native
Order
SULIFORMES
Family
Fregatidae
Genus
Fregata

At a glance

The Christmas Frigatebird is a very large bird, about 90–100 cm long, listed as Critically Endangered and native to Australia. It is best seen in summer.

Size
90–100 cm
Conservation status
Critically Endangered
Origin
Native
Best seen
Summer
Commonness
Rare
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Christmas Frigatebird look like?

The Christmas Frigatebird is a very large bird, about 90–100 cm long and weighing 750–1650 g.

The Christmas frigatebird or Christmas Island frigatebird is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae which is an endemic breeder to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. Apart from the Ascension frigatebird, the three other species of frigatebird have much more widely distributed breeding locations.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
90–100 cm
Weight
750–1650 g
Wingspan
205 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Christmas Frigatebird?

The Christmas Frigatebird is recorded across its Australian range mainly in January, February, April, May, August, September, November and December.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Christmas Frigatebird eat?

The Christmas Frigatebird feeds on fish/invertebrates, usually foraging in flocks or alone.

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Christmas Frigatebird live in Australia?

The Christmas Frigatebird is native to Australia, recorded across 1 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingChristmas I. (south of west Java)

Non-breedingAndaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand across Sunda Shelf to South China Sea and Sulu Sea (south-west Philippines)

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Vagrant

3 regions recorded