Great frigatebird or Fregata minor is a large seabird in the frigatebird family. Their most common locations are found in the Pacific Ocean (including the Galapagos Islands), the Indian Ocean, and also the South Atlantic.

The Great frigatebird is a lightly built, large seabird up to 105 cm long with predominantly black plumage.

The birds are sexually dimorphic — the female is larger than the male and has a white throat and chest. In contrast, the male has a bright red leather gular sac. During the mating season, the male can inflate it to enormous sizes to attract the attention of the opposite sex.

The main feature for the Great frigatebird is the ability to spend long periods of time in the air without any visible wing activity. Thanks to the special structure of the wings, they can use thermodynamic phenomena and perceive gravity, which allows them to remain stable in the air for up to two months.

In charting bird flight patterns, scientists found that birds travel incredible distance — sometimes covering up to 400 kilometers in a single day. If necessary, birds can use a different type of updraft. They would slip under a cumulus cloud and allow themselves to be very quickly pulled upward without having to flap their wings. Such sudden elevations could take them as high as 4,000 meters, where the air is extremely thin, and the temperature freezing. From there, they would glide down for hours, until reaching another updraft.

Frigatebirds feed on fish taken in flight from the ocean's surface. This type is also known for its food acquisition strategy. They are experts at stealing from other birds, waiting for the the moment to attack them and force them to release food from their beaks. This behavior makes them one of nature's most successful pirates!