Fregata andrewsi

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Cladus: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Cladus: Aequornithes
Ordo: Suliformes

Familia: Fregatidae
Genus: Fregata
Species: Fregata andrewsi
Name

Fregata andrewsi Mathews, 1914
References

Austral Avian Record. 2: p.120 BHL
IUCN: Fregata andrewsi (Vulnerable)

Vernacular names
العربية: فرقاطة أندروسي
català: Fregata de l'illa Christmas
Deutsch: Weißbauch-Fregattvogel
English: Christmas Island Frigatebird
español: Rabihorcado de la Christmas
فارسی: مرغ دله کریسمس
suomi: Joulusaarenfregattilintu
français: Frégate d'Andrews
Bahasa Indonesia: Cikalang christmas
italiano: Fregata di Christmas, Fregata di Andrews
മലയാളം: കൃസ്തുമസ്ദ്വീപ് കടൽക്കള്ളൻ
Bahasa Melayu: Burung Simbang Pulau Christmas
Nederlands: Witbuikfregatvogel
polski: Fregata białobrzucha
svenska: Julöfregattfågel
Tiếng Việt: Cốc biển bụng trắng
中文: 白腹軍艦鳥,海盜鳥

The Christmas frigatebird (Fregata andrewsi), or Christmas Island frigatebird, is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae which is an endemic breeder to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.

The Christmas frigatebird is a large lightly built seabird with brownish-black plumage, long narrow wings and a deeply forked tail. It has a wingspan of around 2.15 m (7.1 ft). The male has an egg shaped white patch on his belly and 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. They feed on fish taken in flight from the ocean's surface (mostly flying fish), and sometimes indulge in kleptoparasitism, harassing other birds to force them to regurgitate their food. The species is listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Taxonomy and systematics

The Christmas frigatebird was once considered to belong to the species Fregata aquila but in 1914 the Australian ornithologist Gregory Mathews proposed that the Christmas frigatebird should be considered as a separate species with the binomial name Fregata andrewsi in honour of the English paleontogist Charles Andrews.[3] Of the four other species within the genus Fregata, genetic analysis has shown that the Christmas frigatebird is most closely related to the great frigatebird.[4]
Description
A juvenile at Jakarta Bay, Indonesia

The Christmas frigatebird measures 89–100 cm (35–39 in) in length, has a wingspan of 205–230 cm (81–91 in) and weighs around 1,550 g (3.42 lb).[5] The adult male of this species is easily identified, since he is all black except for a white belly patch. Other plumages resemble those of the smaller lesser frigatebird, but have whiter bellies and longer white underwing spurs.
Status

The Christmas frigatebird is endemic to Christmas Island and breeds in only four main nesting colonies. In 2003 there were 1,200 breeding pairs but as frigatebirds normally breed every other year, the total adult population was estimated to be between 3,600 and 7,200 individuals.[6] The species has a small population and breeds on just one island. It is therefore listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as vulnerable.[1]
References

BirdLife International (2022). "Fregata andrewsi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T22697742A210923623. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
"Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
Mathews, GM (1914). "On the species and subspecies of the genus Fregata". Australian Avian Record. 2 (6): 120 (117–121).
Kennedy, Martyn; Spencer, Hamish G (2004). "Phylogenies of the frigatebirds (Fregatidae) and tropicbirds (Phaethonidae), two divergent groups of the traditional order Pelecaniformes, inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 31 (1): 31–38. Bibcode:2004MolPE..31...31K. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2003.07.007. PMID 15019606.
Orta, J; Garcia, EFJ; Kirwan, GM; Boesman, P. "Christmas Frigatebird (Fregata andrewsi)". In del Hoyo, J; Elliott, A; Sargatal, J; Christie, DA; de Juana, E (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 30 November 2014.(subscription required)

James, David J; McAllan, Ian AW (2014). "The birds of Christmas Island, Indian Ocean: A review" (PDF). Australian Field Ornithology. 31 (Supplement): S24 Table 3, S64–S67. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-14.

Further reading
James, David J (2004). "Identification of Christmas Island, Great and Lesser Frigatebirds" (PDF). BirdingASIA. 1: 22–38. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-09.