Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor) - "The Incredible Lightness of Being...a frigate bird"

Photographed off Daphne Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

Day 3 of the Galápagos trip

 

An immature Great Frigatebird floats effortlessly above my head as the ship passes Daphne Island.

 

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From Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_frigatebird

 

"Frigatebirds have long narrow pointed wings and a long narrow deeply forked tail. They have the highest ratio of wing area to body mass and the lowest wing loading of any bird. This has been hypothesized to enable the birds to use marine thermals created by small differences between tropical air and water temperatures."

 

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Uploaded on July 28, 2018
Taken on July 1, 2018