12.21.2005

Secrets of Christmas seabird revealed



From BirdLife International...

Christmas Island Frigatebird Fregata andrewsi is officially classified by BirdLife as Critically Endangered. The species has a huge wingspan of up to 2.5 metres and was named after its piratical habit of snatching food from other seabirds. It is sometimes known as the "Man o’ War bird" after the Portuguese pirate ships or frigates that plied the oceans hundreds of years ago.

During 2005, scientists from Parks Australia have been satellite tagging the frigatebirds at their Indian Ocean nesting site in an attempt to find out more about their movements. Parks Australia was awarded four satellite-transmitting devices (known as Platform Terminal Transmitters) by the American Bird Conservancy in an international grant competition in 2005. The devices (worth about US $3000 each) were donated by North Star Science and Technology, the manufacturers of the devices and founders of the grant program.

Link: Full Article from BirdLife International