help for frigatebird identification
By Birding-Aus, on May 26th, 2014
Hi, We spotted one frigatebird last week at west coast of Taiwan, but we could not clearly identify it. At first, we think it’s a lesser frigatebird, but the shape of white belly patch and axillary spur confused us. After searching the web, we think there is a chance that it may be a Christmas island frigatebird. Could you please help us to identify it ? Thanks a lot ! photo as below https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vi57b403glya8ks/AACyXtStxM_DH0KIPZHHsagRa#/ Smew Mao _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
wow, a Great Frigatebird !! my lifer !! Since frigatebirds are very rare here, even with SEABIRD guide books, the variations still confused us. Thanks David and Mike, it’s very informative and a lot help to us
Cheers, Smew Mao Hsinchu, Taiwan Cc: “Birding_Aus” Sent Date: Tue,27 May 2014 15:29:10 Asia/Taipei Hi Smew and Mike, thanks for passing this on Mike. I only watch birding-aus through the archives site and not always, but the archives is not always working lately. Anyway, to the point, I’d call it a Greater. The belly patch is quite pointy at the front and back, like a diamond (if you hide the spurs). Lesser has a triangular belly patch so it is never pointy at the front margin. CI Frigate has a hexagonal belly patch which can be broadly indented but never pointy at the front, and is always broad at the back. Greater usually has an oval belly patch, but it can be pinched at the front and back to look more like a diamond. The belly patch is out of range for lesser and CI, but in range (at the extreme) for Great. The spurs come off the middle-sides of the belly patch so that is wrong for Lesser (spurs at front of belly patch) but typical for CI and Great. They point straight out along the wing (good for Great and Lesser), not angling forward as in CI. The bill is not strikingly long for a frigatebird, which counts against CI. The alar bars on the upperwing are not very pronounced, which tends towards males and Great or Lesser but not CI. The innerwing is narrow and slender which tends towards Lesser or Great but away from CI. Thus there are features that rule out Lesser and CI , while everything I can see suits Great well. I hope this helps Cheers,David JamesSydney============================== From: Mike Carter < pterodroma@bigpond.com> To: ‘David James’ < burunglaut07@yahoo.com>; Rohan Clarke < rohan@wildlifeimages.com.au>; Jeff Davies < jeff@jeffdavies.com.au> Sent: Tuesday, 27 May 2014 11:05 AM Subject: Fw: [Birding-Aus] help for frigatebird identification Have you seen this. In my opinion it is not a Lesser and I think most likely a Greater. What do you think?Mike Carter30 Canadian Bay RoadMount Eliza VIC 3930Tel (03) 9787 7136—– Original Message —– From: “茆世民” < smew.mao@msa.hinet.net>To: < birding-aus@birding-aus.org>Sent: Monday, May 26, 2014 8:49 PMSubject: [Birding-Aus] help for frigatebird identification>> Hi,>> We spotted one frigatebird last week at west coast of Taiwan,> but we could not clearly identify it.>> At first, we think it’s a lesser frigatebird, but the shape of white belly > patch and axillary spur confused us.> After searching the web, we think there is a chance that it may be a > Christmas island frigatebird.>> Could you please help us to identify it ?>> Thanks a lot !>> photo as below> https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vi57b403glya8ks/AACyXtStxM_DH0KIPZHHsagRa#/>> Smew Mao> _______________________________________________> Birding-Aus mailing list> Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:> http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
Hi Smew Mao & Mike, Interesting thoughts. David James wrote a nice article on Frigatebird ID a few years ago. See here: http://tanzaniabirds.net/articles/Frigatebird-ID-BirdingAsia.pdf I was wondering if the Black Drongo in one of Smew Mao’s pictures could be of use for getting some information on morphometrics of the frigatebird? Cheers, Nikolas A/Prof Nikolas Haass | Head, Experimental Melanoma Therapy Group The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute Level 6 | Translational Research Institute | 37 Kent Street | Woolloongabba QLD 4102 T: +61 (0)7 3443 7087 | M: +61 (0)424 603 579 F: +61 (0)7 3443 6966 E: n.haass1@uq.edu.au | W: http://www.di.uq.edu.au …Turning scientific discoveries into better treatments… CRICOS Code 00025B This email is intended solely for the addressee. It may contain private or confidential information. If you are not the intended addressee, you must take no action based on it, nor show a copy to anyone. Kindly notify the sender by reply email. Opinions and information in this email which do not relate to the official business of The University of Queensland shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by the University On 27/05/14 11:09 AM, “Mike Carter” < pterodroma@bigpond.com> wrote: _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
In my opinion, it is not a Lesser Frigatebird and I think most likely it is a Great Frigatebird. Mike Carter 30 Canadian Bay Road Mount Eliza VIC 3930 Tel (03) 9787 7136 —– Original Message —– Sent: Monday, May 26, 2014 8:49 PM _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org