As I said at the beginning, I am no expert on frigatebirds and as the water
is getting too deep and treacherous and I might drown I am swimming to shore
and will await further deliberations from the experts. I looked at David's
paper and only became more confused.
Greg
Dr Greg. P. Clancy
Ecologist and Birding-wildlife Guide
PO Box 63 Coutts Crossing NSW 2460
0266493153 0429601960
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Carter
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 1:59 PM
To: Steve Clark ;
Cc: 'David James'
Subject: Tanzanians need help with Frigatebird id
In case he missed this posting, I've forwarded this request to David James
who knows this group well having lived for three years+ on Christmas Island
where all three Australian species breed. David wrote a paper on their ID
published in 2004 in BirdingASIA 1, 22-38.
However here are a few comments from me. It is a sub-adult bird but because
it appears to have a wholly white head lacking any tawny colouration, it is
not a fresh juvenile. The white spurs seem to me to be restricted to the
sides of the breast not extending onto the underwing which suggests to me
that it is not a Lesser Frigatebird. The bill doesn't look long enough for a
Christmas Frigatebird so assuming that it is of Indian Ocean origin,
(Ascension Island is in another ocean without a tropical waters link), my
not very confident vote would be for Great Frigatebird.
Mike Carter
30 Canadian Bay Road
Mount Eliza VIC 3930
Tel (03) 9787 7136
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