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Wong Tsu Shi | profile | all galleries >> 450 species of Wild Bird of Sabah, wild bird of Borneo >> Frigatebirds and Darters | tree view | thumbnails | slideshow |
(Order PELECANIFORMES)
Frigatebirds
"The large tropical sea-birds that constitute this family are the most completely aerial of water-birds and perhaps of all birds except swifts. They have very long wings, long forked tails, and very short legs. They never settle on the water or on a level coast and are probably incapable of rising from such situations. Throughout the hours of daylight they remain in the air, floating over water of their island home without the slightest effort on motionless wing, plunging down to the surface of the sea to pick up some floating object, or pursuing other sea-birds to make them disgorge their booty. At dusk they retire in companies to some favorite clump of trees near the coast to roost" (Alexander 1952)
Cormorants
Cormorants are web-footed birds feeding on fish and crustacea, which they obtain by diving. Though found all over the world except the Central Pacific, they are rare in Borneo whence three species have been recorded. (Smythies, The Birds of Borneo, 1999)
Darter
A small family of only four species of cormorant-like birds. Anhingas chase fish underwater and can remain submerged for long periods. The neck is very long and snake like. (John Mackinnon, The birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali.)
Photographed Species
Scientific Name
Common Name
Link (Fregata andrewsi) Christmas Island Frigatebird Image (Fregata ariel ariel) Lesser Frigatebird Image (Fregata minor) Great Frigatebird Image (Anhinga melanogaster melanogaster) Darter Image
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