Here is one of the real star performers of the Galapagos Islands. I loved the frigatebirds. They were very active, very big, and provided lots of action. Some people didn’t like them because they can’t secrete enough oil to make their wings waterproof and so they can’t dive for their own fish. They therefore harass other birds who have caught fish to cough up the fish and they usually catch the regurgitated fish in mid-air. Frigatebirds have the largest wingspan-to-weight ratio of any bird. Their wingspan can be up to 7.5 feet.

The first photo is a frigatebird feeding frenzy. I only got a small portion of the group in this photo. In this photo, a sea lion had puked and the frigatebirds were having a field day.

This photo is a male frigatebird. The males puff up their necks during mating season to attract the females. Who could resist that?

The last two photos are of the main colony area.

In the last photo, you can also see a great blue heron. There are two kinds of frigatebirds: the Magnificent Frigatebird and the Great Frigatebird. This colony had both kinds.