Magnificent Frigatebird

The magnificent frigatebird is a large seabird found along tropical and subtropical coasts of the Americas, from the southeastern United States to South America, instantly recognizable for the male's enormous red throat pouch, which he inflates like a balloon during courtship displays to attract females. It has long, angular wings with the highest ratio of wing area to body weight of any bird, allowing it to soar for extended periods with minimal effort, and a deeply forked tail used for precise aerial maneuvering. Frigatebirds cannot swim or take off easily from water because their feathers are not waterproof, so they snatch fish from the ocean surface in flight and are notorious for harassing other seabirds in mid-air to steal their catch, a behavior known as kleptoparasitism. The species nests in colonies on remote coastal islands and remains widespread, though some populations are sensitive to disturbance at breeding sites.