Talk:Frigatebird

Disambiguation Link
I fixed this re this discussion on WP:DISAMBIG. exolon 02:41, 24 December 2006 (UTC) the male stays on the ground and inhales his red scarlet throat to get a mate

"Pelagic"?
Since, as the article notes, Frigatebirds live ashore and take their food from beaches as well as open water, is [pelagic http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pelagic] really the word to describe their diet? I accept that they are not quite piscivores if they eat turtles, but "pelagic" seems more properly applied to birds like the albatross, living far from shore. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Czrisher (talk • contribs) 14:28, 15 June 2009 (UTC)


 * You could well be right. Even albatrosses have to breed on land, so that in itself isn't significant, but I don't think frigatebirds can roost on the sea. I've seen them leaving overnight woodland roosts in Florida in November, whcih supports what you say. On the other hand, if the map is correct, that suggests that they can be pelagic - I doubt that jimfbleak (talk) 14:46, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Cladogram showing relationship of Frigatebirds to other families
I wanted to draw a cladogram showing the relationship of Fregatidae to other families. Comparing Kennedy and Spencer (2004) with Hackett et al. (2008) (Fig S2) there are differences. The ML tree of Kennedy and Spencer suggests that Darters and Gannets are more similar to each other than either is to Cormorants. On the other hand Hackett et al. have Darters more similar to Cormorants and Gannets as basal to the other two species. So which should I draw? Aa77zz (talk) 13:35, 28 November 2014 (UTC)
 * Refs:
 * Aa77zz (talk) 13:44, 28 November 2014 (UTC)
 * Aa77zz (talk) 13:44, 28 November 2014 (UTC)


 * It appears some of the above is address by:
 * But I understand very little. Aa77zz (talk) 14:09, 28 November 2014 (UTC)
 * I've removed my cladogram from the article as the relationship between the species in the Fregatidae family is different in Smith and I cannot judge which is correct. Smith only considers 3 species: F. minor, F. ariel and F. magnificens but has ariel and magnificens together. Aa77zz (talk) 14:23, 28 November 2014 (UTC)
 * I'll take a look and have a think and post some thoughts and we can come up with something. Funny, I've never really read about frigate birds before... Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 09:01, 29 November 2014 (UTC)
 * Right - regarding the species-level one - the Kennedy/Spencer article is widely cited and is confident of its arrangement (and uses 2 types of DNA). The infrageneric arrangement isn't even mentioned in the osteology one, so am happy to leave it (combining two cladograms would be OR anyway). So have readded Kennedy/Spencer cladogram. Still reading on higher-level taxa....Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 10:53, 30 November 2014 (UTC)
 * Right - regarding the species-level one - the Kennedy/Spencer article is widely cited and is confident of its arrangement (and uses 2 types of DNA). The infrageneric arrangement isn't even mentioned in the osteology one, so am happy to leave it (combining two cladograms would be OR anyway). So have readded Kennedy/Spencer cladogram. Still reading on higher-level taxa....Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 10:53, 30 November 2014 (UTC)

Right, the easiest is to say what studies did what and came to what conclusions - i.e. Smith 2010 looked at bony and skeletal characters. It doesn't discuss the infrageneric arrangement of Fregata in it. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 12:15, 29 November 2014 (UTC)

Hmmm, looking here looks like Gerbe and Degland made it a genus not a family (??) Will ask at WP:Birds. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 22:29, 29 November 2014 (UTC)
 * As an update - got an email from Richard Schodde confirming Gerbe and Degland as authorities (they describe it as Fregatinae in table of contents)...glad got that sorted out..... Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 21:29, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

Airborne for a week - cn tag
"able to stay aloft for more than a week" - this is certainly correct for great frigatebirds but may not apply to magnificent frigatebirds. Weimerskirch et al 2004 tracked great frigatebirds incubation eggs on Europa Island in the Mozambique Channel. The birds would forage at sea for 3-12 days, average 5.8 days. There is no mention of roosting on land during these trips. In contrast Weimerskirch et al 2006 tracked Magnificent frigatebirds. This species is not oceanic, unlike the other 4 species, and keeps to inshore waters. "The slow overall speeds were due to frequent stops of several hours each on the coast".(page 222) Aa77zz (talk) 12:59, 24 December 2014 (UTC)


 * Yep - important to have material align with sources - will tweak. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 22:21, 24 December 2014 (UTC)

Bookmark
Read and add this Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 20:40, 25 December 2014 (UTC)
 * Doesn't add much - main pigment is astaxanthin. Aa77zz (talk) 21:51, 25 December 2014 (UTC)
 * Haven't read it yet - I was ducking out between family get-togethers and hefty meals to look for info on gular pouches as I reckon it is something that could be discussed in more detail as it is a distinctive part of frigatebird anatomy. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 21:58, 27 December 2014 (UTC)

Check this and this Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 05:30, 12 June 2015 (UTC)

GA/FA push
Righto, folks - may as well capitalise on the work done so far and push it to GA/FA etc. I don't have much on the biology of frigatebirds as a group though....Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 07:17, 9 May 2015 (UTC)

Mortality from fishing lines - Ascension Island frigatebirds
I haven't found evidence that longlines pose a significant risk to the birds. The possible entangled of Ascension Island frigatebirds in fishing lines is mentioned by Ratcliffe et al (2008) - but they provide no evidence that there is significant mortality. This anonymous draft report:



contains the text: "No local observer data exist to assess the direct mortality of Ascension frigatebirds caused by incidental capture in pelagic longlines, although bycatch statistics reported by the Taiwanese fleet operating in and around Ascension’s exclusive economic zone suggest that the risk is likely to be low[17]. This is supported by low by-catch rates reported for closely related frigatebird species in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans [18,19]. The indirect impacts  of fishing on marine food webs are therefore perhaps of greater concern. As surface feeders with a diet based primarily on flying fish, frigatebirds are highly reliant on sub-surface predators such as tuna to drive prey within reach [13]."

Though I wouldn't give much weight to reports by the Taiwanese fishing fleet, the decline of the tuna fish appears to be a more serious threat. Aa77zz (talk) 15:11, 13 May 2015 (UTC)
 * Interesting read. I'm sure we'll build up more of a picture as we read some more sources for other species. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 00:17, 14 May 2015 (UTC)
 * Great figatebirds: James & McAllan page 63 (bottom): "There is occasional entanglement of Frigatebirds in discarded fishing line (Stokes 1988; DJJ), though this does not threaten at the population level (DJJ)." Aa77zz (talk) 10:41, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

Natural predators to the Frigatebird?
- small ferals during breeding season - and for adult Frigatebird? Thy--SvenAERTS (talk) 23:08, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

Lead
I disagree with some of the changes that have recently been made to lead Aa77zz (talk) 20:23, 12 June 2015 (UTC)
 * In the first paragraph it was better to have the description before the behaviour - as in the body of the article.
 * It is not necessary to specify sizes and weights in the lead - and if one does the metric value should be given first as is done in the body of the article.
 * Not all frigatebirds have an "iridescent purple sheen." Only the male birds have the sheen and according to James 2004 the sheen is green on Christmas Island and Great frigatebirds. For example see File:Greater_frigatebird_breeding_pair.jpg
 * "largest wingspan-to-body" should be "largest wingspan-to-body-weight"


 * Yeah, I have been trying to rejig it a bit and Atsme wanted to have a go. I tried this way but looking at it again it jumps about a bit in topic matter. I think going back the a default order is best. Will reorganise. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 20:49, 12 June 2015 (UTC)


 * I did really like this line, " Frigatebirds are unique in their ability to soar for days on wind currents over open oceans and along coastlines. ".....but isn't true as they're not unique at this (albratrosses and petrels come to mind). Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 21:04, 12 June 2015 (UTC)


 * I had to take Wasatch out of lead as two of the three species were slightly younger. Early Eocene covers all three though. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 21:13, 12 June 2015 (UTC)

Perhaps the following will help for comparison purposes:

It may or may not help with regards to balance and flow. At the very least it provides a convenient way to compare. Atsme 📞📧 23:02, 12 June 2015 (UTC)
 * PS - I probably should have been more definitive re: the uniqueness of the soaring - One extreme end of the evolution of soaring birds from the aspect of wing loading is the magnificent frigatebird, which has the lowest wing loading among birds. page 6  I also tried to maintain some consistency with the size, body weight, etc. in the lede as with Great_frigatebird, but I suck at conversions.  The iridescent purple sheen occurs on at least 3 of the 5 extant species - Great, Magnificent, and Lesser - I didn't research much further than that because it was a generalization.  Google brought up several RS that confirmed it.  I went with the most notable characteristics in the 1st para of the lede because the critiques I experienced from prior GA/FA reviews are deeply embedded in my memory.   I just hope what I was able to contribute proves helpful.  Atsme 📞📧 00:16, 13 June 2015 (UTC)
 * Look, it's all a learning curve - I've not done many group articles and it is a little tricky. I think some of the engaging prose you've added is really valuable in the lead and that's a great thing at this stage - it is a real tightrope act walking the line between engaging/accessible prose and accuracy. Its Saturday day here and I will be on and off with RL chores (my son's birthday for starters). So will look over some of this later. cheers, Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 01:13, 13 June 2015 (UTC)

Evidence that [Frigatebirds] sleep in mid-flight
An interesting citation if someone wants to mix it in. Abstract below.


 * Many birds fly non-stop for days or longer, but do they sleep in flight and if so, how? It is commonly assumed that flying birds maintain environmental awareness and aerodynamic control by sleeping with only one eye closed and one cerebral hemisphere at a time. However, sleep has never been demonstrated in flying birds. Here, using electroencephalogram recordings of great frigatebirds (Fregata minor) flying over the ocean for up to 10 days, we show that they can sleep with either one hemisphere at a time or both hemispheres simultaneously. Also unexpectedly, frigatebirds sleep for only 0.69 h d−1 (7.4% of the time spent sleeping on land), indicating that ecological demands for attention usually exceed the attention afforded by sleeping unihemispherically. In addition to establishing that birds can sleep in flight, our results challenge the view that they sustain prolonged flights by obtaining normal amounts of sleep on the wing.

atropos235 ✄ (blah blah, my past) 22:26, 27 October 2016 (UTC)

Help!
I tried to edit the article, but I think I broke something, please help! 2603:8080:B8F0:5360:A432:E967:188D:73AA (talk) 19:32, 10 June 2024 (UTC)


 * Crisis averted 2603:8080:B8F0:5360:A432:E967:188D:73AA (talk) 19:33, 10 June 2024 (UTC)