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Lesser Frigate
This exemplar is most likely a juvenile based on the yellow color of the head and neck which after a few years will turn progressively darker and develop a red throat which will be more pronounced in a male. In the guide I read that these birds need islands to roost as they cannot rest at the sea because their feathers get easily waterlogged. Island of Lankayan, Sabah.
The lesser frigatebird is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae. At around 75 cm in length, it is the smallest species of frigatebird. It occurs over tropical and subtropical waters across the Indian and Pacific Oceans as well as off the Atlantic coast of Brazil.
The lesser frigatebird is a lightly built seabird with brownish-black plumage, long narrow wings and a deeply forked tail. The male has a striking red gular sac which it inflates to attract a mate. The female is.. more
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http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10228.html
It could also be a Christmas Island frigate bird or a great frigate bird. I have set it as lesser because is the commonest of the three in Borneo but it could also be one of the other two species. As a juvenile and in the distance is hard to tell a part because they are very similar. I hope I made the right ID :-) Posted 6 years ago