DEpository: information about the fauna of Germany

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Fregata magnificens
Magnificent frigatebird
Prachtfregattvogel

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Subspecies

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Synonyms

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Identification

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Distribution

Breeds along the Atlantic coast of South and Central America, including the Carribean. On the eastern side of the Atlantic only known from the Capverde islands. The species is known as a very rare vagrant from several European countries including Great Britain and the Netherlands. The occurrence in Germany is disputed. There is a single record from the Weser near Hannoverisch Münden from January 1792, when a single specimen has been seen over a period of several days feeding on fish from the Weser (Scherner 2001). At the time the distinction between the different frigatebird species was not yet common practice and the identity of this bird is therefore unclear, but most probably is Fregata magnificens. The bird of 1792 was shot and deposited with the Royal Academic Museum in Göttingen, but has been discarded probably even before 1878 (Scherner 2001). According to Scherner (2001) there is another German record of a frigatebird specimen in the literature dating from 1787. However, this is disputed and the 1787 record most probably refers to a storm-petrel (probably Pelagodroma marina).

Biology

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