23 June 2008
The normal view of a frigatebird is its unmistakable silhouette in the sky; it’s the biggest bird in the Seychelles, with very angular wings that can be up to 230cm across. The characteristic most people know about them is their habit of pinching other birds’ catches.
This they do by hounding them on the wing relentlessly until the unfortunate bird (on Aride it’s mainly white tailed tropicbirds or payanke lake blan) drops its catch, then the frigate with great agility will swoop and grab the fish before it hits the sea, a true act of piracy.
Although this peculiar behaviour does prove to be lucrative, it is not their main feeding technique. Their main prey is flying fish, which they snatch in mid air as they try to escape under water predators, the poor fish thinks he’s escaped the barracuda’s jaws as it takes to the air, then gets picked off by a passing frigate.
Some other interesting facts about them, you might not know: They have the lowest wing loading of any bird. By this I mean that with their 2m plus wing span, they weigh less than a small chicken, a bird built for effortless long distance flying.
Their legs are so short they can’t walk on the ground. They have no waterproofing on their feathers, if they should fall into the sea, they drown. In the Seychelles they only breed at Aldabra (apart from a few pairs on Cosmoledo). The main roost in the granitic islands is on Aride, in October and November the numbers can reach 4,500, and the vast majority of these are young birds.
The best place to see them is from the view point on Aride, the view point is 130m high and the birds soar up on the thermals just a few meters from you. It is the only place in the world where you can make eye contact at such close range with a frigatebird. The roost is one of the major attractions for our clients, we tell them it’s a hot climb to the top of the hill but well worth the effort when you get there, in six months we haven’t had anyone come down the hill disappointed.
One thing that is cause for concern, is some tour boat operators that bring their clients around Aride, in an effort to give their customers the best view of the birds, they shout and clap their hands to make them fly. This may seem to the operators, to not be a problem, but what we don’t know, is what level of disturbance the frigatebirds will tolerate. The only way we will know that, is when they stop coming to Aride, and that would be a massive loss to the whole area. So please if you are a tour boat owner, visit by all means, but please let the birds roost in peace.
The Island Conservation Society promotes the conservation and restoration of island ecosystems.
