60 BBC WILDLIFE December 2021
over any branches that fall into the sea and
will steal from other nests. The fights can
be intense, with a bird sometimes swooping
down, claws bared, attempting to drive out
a nest’s owner so he can appropriate the
precious sticks.
Nest sites are also highly coveted. If
you’re lucky enough to secure a decent
branch, you must be prepared to defend
it. Males from other pairs often wait for
a couple to let their guard down, before
attempting to commandeer the spot. When
under siege, a defender uses his entire body
to protect his home, pecking viciously at the
aggressor to drive him away.
Males expend an enormous amount of
energy during the summer to attract a mate,
but copulation lasts just a few seconds. It
takes a keen eye and a lot of patience to spot
this event in the clamour and noise of the
colony. The male retracts his red throat so
he can mount the female, simultaneously
grabbing her by the neck to prevent her
from falling into the sea. Then comes the
challenge of parenting.
The female lays a single, small white
egg and the pair strengthens their bond by
protecting it, their home and each other.
Unpaired males will attempt to oust males
from established partnerships, and to woo
the female with song, but pair-bonds are
strong. A female protects her other half with
her outstretched wings, jabbing her beak at
any suitors that are unwilling to accept thatWith a wingspan that can reach over two metres, frigatebirds cut an imposing figure,
whether perched in the mangrove canopy or soaring through the sky. Like the warships
they’re named after, the birds are fast, manoeuvrable and won’t shy away from a fightThe floating mangrove
the Peruvian frigates call
home is under threat
from rising sea levels