The pirates of the Caribbean

Frigatebirds, the original pirates of the Caribbean, have ruled the roost in this tropical region long before Blackbeard or Johnny Depp were on the scene. Their name derives from the moniker “La Fregate” given to the birds by French naturalist Jean-Baptiste du Tertre back in 1667 after the warships commonly used pirates, whilst English mariners chose the moniker “Man-o-War” birds, after watching how they terrorise and steal from other seabirds.

But it is their real name that may best describe them. The magnificent frigatebird (fregata magnificens) is without doubt rather magnificent. With a colossal two-metre wingspan, seeing one soar effortlessly in the cobalt blue skies beneath puffy white clouds is a truly unforgettable sight. And Antigua & Barbuda is one of the best places in the world to get up close and personal with this enigmatic creature; not for nothing is it the twin islands’ national bird. Barbuda’s Codrington Lagoon – designated a Wetland of National Importance since the 1980s - has the largest frigatebird colony in the Western hemisphere, where up to 10,000 birds nest each year and cohabitate with more than 170 other species such as brown boobies, gulls, the endemic Barbuda warbler, and the endangered whistling duck. With just 1,500 people living in Barbuda, the island’s feathered population far outnumber its human one. No visit to this laidback and breathtakingly beautiful island is complete without taking a short boat ride from the longest unbroken beach in the West Indies to visit the scrubby mangroves where these black-feathered creatures are oblivious to the inquisitive humans who delight in taking close-up snaps and spying on their unusual courting rituals.

Antigua & Barbuda is one of the best places in the world to get up close and personal with this enigmatic creature; not for nothing is the frigatebird the twin islands’ national bird.

Indeed, the September to April mating season is the best time to catch males at their most exuberant and photogenic. As the males compete to attract one of the females circling like kites above them, they puff up their ruby red throat pouch like large party balloons, then rattle and beat their bills against them, emitting a deafening cacophony of clicking and drumming noises – a spectacle that no-one will forget quickly. Once a female takes a fancy to one of them, she lands at his feet and the mating ritual begins. Many of the images captured of these magnificent birds depict them gliding above the ocean like modern day pterodactyls. One thing is for certain: you will never see a photo of one floating on the sea. Yes, almost unbelievably for a seabird who spends all its life above or next to the ocean, the frigatebird not only cannot swim, but should it land on the surface of the water, it would drown. Most seabirds possess a uropygial gland which allows them to waterproof their feathers through preening. However, with the frigatebird’s gland being for all intents and purposes useless, even a quick dip in the ocean would result in them perishing, their waterlogged plumage dragging them below the waves.

And when your diet consists of sea-living creatures, not being able to get wet can naturally present a challenge. The frigatebird’s solution is to swoop down and pluck fish and squid from the surface of the water with their long bill or nab an unsuspecting flying fish which has taken to the air fleeing larger prey under the water’s surface. Indeed, for centuries Caribbean fishermen have used the frigate’s presence and feeding habits to help them locate schools of fish; seeing them circle above the ocean almost always guarantees a feeding frenzy in the waters below. The frigatebird, however, has an alternative but far more cunning way to get its lunch. And its kleptoparasitism is precisely why it has garnered such a tarnished reputation as a pirate of the air. When another bird like a booby flies up from the waves with a fish in its gullet, the frigatebird chases it, snags and shakes the booby’s tail or wing tip and harasses it into dropping or regurgitating its catch for this master aerialist to snatch mid-flight.

Their flying ability almost defies belief as well. Whilst around half of the colony in Barbuda stay put all year round, during the December-to-May hot season the other half make the epic 3,700-kilometre journey to the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean to breed. Able to soar on warm air currents for weeks on end, research has shown that, incredibly, frigatebirds can fly for thousands of kilometres without ever landing. Handy of course when you’re thousands of kilometres from land and resting on water simply isn’t an option. With some tagged birds registered as flying over 60 kilometres at a stretch without flapping their wings, the average bird flies 300 kilometres a day and at least one has been registered as being continuously aloft for two months. Their higher ratio of wing surface area compared with their body weight, gives them extraordinary aerial manoeuvrability and makes them exceptionally light. And whereas pilots and all other species of birds have learned to avoid clouds - especially cumulus ones which provide that angst-producing turbulence on plane journeys - frigatebirds actively choose to enter them and use them to their complete advantage. By swooping beneath the fluffy cumulus, the currents of warm air pull the birds up and up high into the sky. These same strong thermals that cause turbulence mean the birds don’t even need to flap their wings to stay aloft.

By soaring on these warm equatorial air currents they use very little energy. And they can fly at extraordinary heights. Ornithologist Henri Weimerskirch registered birds reaching a dizzying four kilometres of altitude in his studies into the frigatebird’s habits. In fact, no other bird in the world can fly so high relative to the sea surface. Sleeping is achieved by using only half of their brain to gain short ten-second bursts of sleep mid-flight, meaning that when they are on one of their marathon journeys, they can rest when there is no land in sight. Once back on terra firma, the unsurprisingly exhausted birds can get about 12 hours sleep a day in short one-minute bursts.

In 2017, category-five Hurricane Irma had a devastating effect on both the human and avian population of Barbuda. The mangrove trees, where the frigatebirds nest, were decimated by the catastrophic winds and storm surges, resulting in many of the frigatebird population leaving the sanctuary to find shelter elsewhere. It was a worrying time for conservationists as well as the many Barbudans whose livelihoods depend on visitors to the sanctuary. But thankfully, four years on, the birds have nearly all returned, having once again found refuge in the regenerating mangroves. And thanks to an initiative called Blue Halo Barbuda by the non-profit organisation, the Waitt Institute, and Barbuda Council, new mangrove trees have been propagated in nurseries to ensure that the mangroves are around for the island’s frigatebirds for generations to come. Once again, the magnificent creatures that call this paradise home are back where they belong. The original pirates of the Caribbean are here to stay.

Interesting facts about the frigatebird:

FEMALES LAY ONLY ONE EGG, EVERY OTHER YEAR.

HATCHLINGS ARE LOOKED AFTER FOR UP TO 3 MONTHS BY THE MALE AND THE FEMALE FOR A FURTHER 9 MONTHS. THIS IS THE LONGEST PARENTAL CARE KNOWN IN THE BIRD WORLD.

THEY ARE THE ONLY SEABIRDS WHOSE MALE AND FEMALE LOOK STRIKINGLY DIFFERENT.

FEMALES SELECT MATES AND FORM MONOGAMOUS PAIRS FOR THE DURATION OF THE BREEDING SEASON.

WITH A WINGSPAN OF ABOUT 2.3 METRES (7.5 FEET), FRIGATEBIRDS HAVE THE LARGEST WINGSPAN TO BODY WEIGHT RATIO OF ANY BIRD IN THE WORLD.

THERE ARE 5 SPECIES OF FRIGATEBIRD IN THE WORLD. BARBUDA’S COLONY IS MADE UP OF THE MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD (FREGATA MAGNIFICENS).

FRIGATEBIRDS USE ONLY HALF THEIR BRAIN TO SLEEP WHILE FLYING IN SHORT 10-SECOND BURSTS.

THEIR FEATHERS ARE NOT WATERPROOF AND IF THEY LAND IN WATER, IT CAN BE FATAL.