Female and Juvenile Magificent Frigatebird Fregata Magnificens 2
by Rick Bures
Title
Female and Juvenile Magificent Frigatebird Fregata Magnificens 2
Artist
Rick Bures
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Female and Juvenile Magificent Frigatebird Fregata Magnificens 2. In this horizontal composition, a female magnificent frigatebird and a juvenile of the same species fly in close formation, their black and white plumage contrasting against the clear blue sky in which they soar. The birds are seen from nearly directly beneath, highlighting the repeating pattern of shapes formed by their wings as they fly, the female’s bill nearly touching the tail of the juvenile, their bodies oriented in exactly the same direction. The juvenile’s head and beak are pointed a little to one side. The angled orientation of the birds with respect to the straight frame edges helps to maintain a sense of motion in the image. The fast shutter speed helps to freeze the motion in the image and preserve details. The magnificent frigatebird (Fregata Magnificens) is the largest species of frigatebirds, with a length of up to 45 inches and a wingspan of up to 96 inches (8 feet!). These seabirds have distinctive, long forked tails and long, hooked bills. Magnificent frigate birds are black, with the males sporting a red, inflatable throat pouch that it expands when nested during the breeding season. Females have a wide, white band around the throat and chest, while juveniles have also a white head. Magnificent frigatebirds eat fish, either snatching the fish from the water while on the wing, or attacking other seabirds midair and forcing them to give up their catch or even disgorge a recent meal! Fregata Magnificens are found primarily on both coasts of Central America, and in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, but range as far north as northern California in the United States and as far south as Equador in South America on the Pacific Ocean side of the Americas, and as far north as North Carolina in the United States and as far south as Argentina a bit south of Uruguay on the Atlantic Ocean side of the Americas. These magnificent frigatebirds were photographed from the upper deck of cruise ship, where they were engaging in a form of slope soaring, riding the air currents rising up the front of the moving vessel. The cruise ship was headed out to sea from Key West, the last of the Florida keys accessible by road, at the end (or start, depending on your direction of travel) of U.S. 1. See my many other photos of magnicent frigatebirds, as well as of cormorants, herons, and many other kinds of birds. See also my many photos of other types of animals, as well.
Uploaded
August 2nd, 2017
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