Dictionary

frigatebird en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈfɹɪ.ɡətˌbɝd/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From frigate + bird, a partial calque of translingual Fregata.

Meanings

1. Any of five species of bird in the genus Fregata, the only genus in the family Fregatidae.
   • Unlike most seabirds, frigatebirds are not able to alight on the water. 1987, J. P. Croxall, Seabirds: Feeding Ecology and Role in Marine Ecosystems, page 58:
   • The oceanic frigatebirds are represented in Australia by three species: the Great and Lesser Frigatebirds and endemic Christmas Island Frigatebird (pictured). 2011, Penny Olsen, Leo Joseph, Stray Feathers: Reflections on the Structure, Behaviour and Evolution of Birds, page 176:
   • Often called man o' war birds, they are notorious as piratical cleptomaniacs that steal food from other birds at every opportunity. This reputation is justified, but frigatebirds are also capable of an 'honest' living. It would seem that a frigatebird can discriminate between a bird with a full gullet and one which is empty. An unlucky booby or tropicbird may be plucked out of the air, dangled by the tail-tip and shaken until it regurgitates its food, which the frigatebird then makes off with. 2011, David Horwell, Pete Oxford, Galápagos Wildlife, 3rd edition, page 64:

Forms

Deriveds

great frigatebird · Christmas frigatebird · Ascension frigatebird · magnificent frigatebird · Christmas Island frigatebird · lesser frigatebird

Hyponyms

pirate bird · man o' war bird (bird of family Fregatidae; magnificent frigatebird)

Translations (49)

mk фрега́та (bird of the family Fregatidae) · th นกโจรสลัด (bird of the family Fregatidae) · nb fregattfugl (bird of the family Fregatidae) · ja 軍艦鳥 (bird of the family Fregatidae) · cy aderyn ffrigad (bird of the family Fregatidae) · vi cốc biển (bird of the family Fregatidae) · ru фрега́т (bird of the family Fregatidae) · de Fregattvogel (bird of the family Fregatidae) · ast rabiforcao (bird of the family Fregatidae) · ast fragata (bird of the family Fregatidae) · bg фрегат (bird of the family Fregatidae) · cs fregatka (bird of the family Fregatidae) · id cikalang (bird of the family Fregatidae) · el φρεγάτα (bird of the family Fregatidae) · tr fregat kuşu (bird of the family Fregatidae) · ro fregată (bird of the family Fregatidae) · ca fregata (bird of the family Fregatidae) · nl fregatvogel (bird of the family Fregatidae) · eu fragata (bird of the family Fregatidae) · fi fregattilintu (bird of the family Fregatidae) · pl fregata (bird of the family Fregatidae) · cmn 軍艦鳥 /军舰鸟 (bird of the family Fregatidae) · io fregatucelo (bird of the family Fregatidae) · uk фрегат (bird of the family Fregatidae) · it fregata (bird of the family Fregatidae) · th นกฟรีเกต (bird of the family Fregatidae) · ms cikalang (bird of the family Fregatidae) · haw ʻiwa (bird of the family Fregatidae) · sq fregatë (bird of the family Fregatidae) · es rabihorcado (bird of the family Fregatidae) · ga frigéad (bird of the family Fregatidae) · mh ak (bird of the family Fregatidae) · sm 'ātafa (bird of the family Fregatidae) · ms simbang (bird of the family Fregatidae) · af fregatvoël (bird of the family Fregatidae) · mkj kajap (bird of the family Fregatidae) · es fragata (bird of the family Fregatidae) · ka ფრეგატისებრნი (bird of the family Fregatidae) · mi tawake (bird of the family Fregatidae) · fa مرغ دله (bird of the family Fregatidae) · pt fragata (bird of the family Fregatidae) · ko 군함조 (bird of the family Fregatidae) · gl fragata (bird of the family Fregatidae) · sw mnandi-pwani (bird of the family Fregatidae) · pau kedam (bird of the family Fregatidae) · sv fregattfågel (bird of the family Fregatidae) · nds-de Fregattvagel (bird of the family Fregatidae) · eo fregato (bird of the family Fregatidae) · fr frégate (bird of the family Fregatidae)