frigate bird

(redirected from frigate birds)
Also found in: Thesaurus.

frig·ate·bird

also frigate bird (frĭg′ĭt-bûrd′)
n.
Any of various tropical seabirds of the genus Fregata that have long powerful wings, dark plumage, and a hooked beak and characteristically snatch food from other birds in flight. Also called man-o'-war bird.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

frigate bird

n
(Animals) any bird of the genus Fregata and family Fregatidae, of tropical and subtropical seas, having a long bill with a downturned tip, a wide wingspan, and a forked tail: order Pelecaniformes (pelicans, cormorants, etc). Also called: man-of-war bird
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

frig′ate bird`

or frig′ate•bird`,


n.
any of several long-winged, fork-tailed seabirds of the family Fregatidae, of tropical oceans, noted for snatching prey from other birds in flight.
[1730–40]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun 1. [画像:frigate bird - long-billed warm-water seabird with wide wingspan and forked tail]frigate bird - long-billed warm-water seabird with wide wingspan and forked tail
pelecaniform seabird - large fish-eating seabird with four-toed webbed feet
Fregata, genus Fregata - type genus of the Fregatidae
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in classic literature ?
You are like a frigate bird swooping down upon the boobies and robbing them of the fish they have caught.
View in context
The storyline follows Columbus across the Atlantic and features singing frigate birds, arawak dancers and an unrequited love story between the explorer and Queen Isabella.
Forgotten opera back on CD
During an amazing afternoon snorkelling along the resort's reefs, I swam with a shoal of grunts and saw a sharptail snake eel wind its way below, as pelicans and frigate birds dived for supper above.
Dive in to Dominica; Travel; Visit Caribbean island home to Pirates films and enjoy a horse ride where the tropical rainforest meets the sea e n
The savvy offshore fisherman is looking for frigate birds diving to the surface as they try and steal a fleeing ballyhoo or flying fish that is being pursued by a large predator.
Some Favorites
Cancun is home to a spectacular array of birds including Frigate birds and Toucans.
UNWIND IN A MEXICAN PARADISE
After snorkelling above vibrant coral, it was extraordinary to watch brown-footed boobies and frigate birds with puffed out chests at the South Water Caye Marine Reserve, where we also witnessed gentle manatees or 'sea cows' in the shelter of the mangrove islands (travelbelize.org).
FOLLOW THE HERD; Set off on a tailor-made adventure to get up close to the amazing animals featured in Sir David Attenborough's new wildlife blockbuster
On rat-free islands, seabirds including boobies, frigate birds,
Killing Rats Could Save Coral Reefs
Overhead, plundering frigate birds, hungry for a bite of the afterbirth, threaten to shatter the idyllic picture.
EVOLUTION not revolution; The United Nations has declared 2017 the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. SARAH MARSHALL cruises through one of the world's most fragile ecosystems, the Galapagos Islands, and discovers it's as pristine as ever
That includes the kleptoparasitism of certain gulls and frigate birds, who will cunningly steal meals from other birds, even nestlings.
The California Current; A Pacific Ecosystem and Its Fliers, Divers, and Swimmers
Painter and ornithologist John James Audubon sailed out here in 1832 to study the terns, cormorants, gulls, plovers, peregrine falcons and large-winged frigate birds. When Ernest Hemingway came to Key West in 1928, he hired a boat and set off with two friends to fish off this archipelago of seven sandy spits about 68 miles west of Key West.
Fort Jefferson: camping on the "Gibraltar of the North"
They saw some of the 1,500 fork-tailed frigate birds that nest there.
It all MEX SENSE; Paul Henderson discovers historic temples, exotic fish, great food and a fabulous resort in CancunParadise of pristine sand and clear sea
It was not difficult to find the saillies as they were always followed by Frigate birds, cruising hundreds of feet up, and directly under the Frigates would be a few smaller gulls.
Madagascar

Full browser ?