Riddington & Reid: Lesser in Israel Martin Elliott in Israel: new to the Western Palearctic Roger Riddington and Jane Reid

onday 1st December 1997 was the general proportions. There were, however, last day of our two-week birding few , and we were in relaxed, end-of-trip Mtrip to Israel, one which had suc- mode. Suddenly, at about 15.30 hours, JR cessfully combined many of the local ‘spe- looked up and shattered the calm, yelling cialities’, some late migrants and, following a ‘Frigatebird!’. There, almost overhead rather summer in Shetland, some welcome hot sun- than miles out to sea, was, yes, a frigatebird shine.We spent our last hours covering some Fregata. We watched, transfixed, as this of Eilat’s best birdwatching sites on foot. As supremely elegant creature circled lazily our time drew to a close, there was little evi- above the North Beach coastline for fully dence of new migrant arrivals, so we opted three or four minutes, pursued by an angry to finish up at North Beach, scanning Grey Heron Ardea cinerea and a small through the seabirds and waders present swarm of House Crows Corvus splendens. there. We soon located a first-winter Kitti- Indeed, it was sufficiently close for us men- wake Rissa tridactyla (a rare visitor to the tally to compile some reasonably detailed Red Sea and, probably, the same one as that field notes. Visibility was excellent, the which had been seen there four days weather sunny and warm, with a pleasant earlier), whilst a confiding Greater Sand light northeasterly breeze and clear, sharp Plover Charadrius leschenaultii invited light. In due course, the drifted out to careful scrutiny of its bill-structure and sea. A little stunned, but not really appreci-

Heading drawing: Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel being mobbed by House Crows Corvus splendens and Grey Heron Ardea cinerea.

22 © British Birds 93: 22-27, January 2000 Riddington & Reid: Lesser Frigatebird in Israel Riddington & Reid: Lesser Frigatebird in Israel

Figs. 1 & 2. Pages from Jane Reid’s field notebook, showing Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel, Eilat, Israel, 1st December 1997.

ating the full gravity of the situation, we duti- Within 15 minutes, the frigatebird obligingly fully made notes and sketches. JR had previ- reappeared, again close to the beach, ously seen allowing us to check our field notes. When it F. magnificens in Brazil, whilst RR had no disappeared a second time, so did we, having to previous experience of the family at all. Our run to catch our shuttle bus to Ovda airport. travelling library did not help much; clearly, Several hours later, we arrived at Bob Arn- specific identification would have to wait. field’s house in East Putney, having walked

British Birds 93: 22-27, January 2000 23 Riddington & Reid: Lesser Frigatebird in Israel through a light covering of snow in southwest London. As we sat ensconced in a warm kitchen, reference to Peter Harrison’s Seabirds (1983) suggested Lesser Frigatebird F. ariel … and the magnitude of the sighting gradually began to sink in. A first for the Western Palearctic! More careful and thorough research in the following days confirmed the initial identification, and RR col- lated our field notes and submitted them to the Israeli Rarities Committee via Hadoram Shirihai. The record was duly accepted, and published in British Birds (91: 242). Description The following description is a copy of that sub- mitted to the Israeli Rari- ties Committee.

Size, structure and jizz Clearly a frigatebird Fregata. Close to the size Fig. 3. Page from Roger Riddington’s field notebook, showing Lesser of the pursuing Grey Frigatebird Fregata ariel, Eilat, Israel, 1st December 1997. Heron in terms of overall length and size, but with much more slender, lazy, unhurried with deep wingbeats: not pointed wings, with very long ‘hands’. A very unlike a gigantic tern Sterna. Although long tail, in the characteristic ‘pincer’ shape clearly responding to its pursuers, it did not of a frigatebird. The bird’s underbody seem unduly perturbed, and was able to showed a rather prominent breast keel, not avoid them with reasonable ease. unlike a heron. The bill was long and slim, and strikingly pale, ivory-coloured. In shape Plumage it recalled a shearwater Calonectris/ Basically, the plumage was dark, blackish. Puffinus, and it appeared about as long as This was relieved only by: the bird’s head. JR considered that the bird (1) A paler, diagonal bar across the upper- was smaller and more slender than Magnifi- wing-coverts – the so-called alar bar. This cent that she had seen in Brazil was browner, not sharply contrasting, in 1995. She remembered the wingshape of and to RR recalled the upperwing Magnificent as strikingly ‘triangular’ (i.e. with pattern of Black Kite Milvus migrans. a rather straight trailing edge, and sharply (2) Restricted whitish belly and ‘tongue’ of angled leading edge – e.g. photo 399 in Har- white extending onto the underwing- rison 1987). The wings of the Eilat bird were coverts. more uniformly slender and angled. The latter was clearly crucial to this bird’s The flight action was rather buoyant and identification. The pattern of white is best

24 British Birds 93: 22-27, January 2000 Riddington & Reid: Lesser Frigatebird in Israel Riddington & Reid: Lesser Frigatebird in Israel shown by the accompanying field sketches in the Fregata all possess a made at the time (which are original, and not white underwing spur in certain age/sex- added to after reference to identification related plumage types. The relatively material). In summary, there was a clear restricted white patch on the underparts, white patch on the mid-breast, which did not covering no more than half of the extend onto the lower breast or belly. RR breast/belly, and certainly not reaching the remembered clearly that the upper border of rear belly, rules out F. this (on the upper breast) was smoothly aquila and Christmas Frigatebird F.andrewsi rounded (as shown in the sketch). JR noted (both of which, in all plumages that show a that the dark belly extended into the white white underwing spur, also show an exten- breast area in the shape of an inverted ‘U’ sive white underbody, extending across the (again, see sketch). A marked indentation of entire belly: Harrison 1983).This leaves only white extended onto the underwing in the Magnificent Frigatebird. On that species, the form of a solid, rather smooth tongue: at the underwing spur is very different in nature time, RR judged it to extend onto both the from that on Lesser Frigatebird, being underwing lesser and marginal coverts.There formed by narrow white edges to the axil- was some dark mottling or blotching on the laries, creating an indistinct spur. The spur of breast, at least at the top of the white area. the Eilat bird was solid and quite distinct. Furthermore, the solid white breast with Bare parts adjoining spur is shown only by adult female Bill pale, ivory-coloured. Colour of legs and Magnificent (all younger plumage stages feet was not noted at the time: they were not with underwing spur show a dark breast striking or obvious and may therefore have band across the centre of more extensively been dark. white underparts). Adult female Magnificent has the spur adjoining the rear part of the Wear underparts, which themselves terminate in a The remiges were quite ragged, showing sharp ‘V’. Both of these are features that do moderate to heavy wear, and were slightly not fit our observations of the Eilat bird. but visibly browner than the blacker coverts. There were small gaps in the remiges on Age and sex both wings, in the middle of the tract (i.e. The Eilat bird had a dark, blackish head, inner primaries/outer secondaries). which rules out all immature female and juvenile stages of Lesser Frigatebird, leaving Discussion of identification adult/subadult female or immature/subadult We are well aware of the complexities of male. The pattern of white on the under- specific identification of frigatebirds (e.g. parts of the Eilat bird (see sketches) most Harrison 1983: ‘At sea identification of closely fits with the pattern of an immature frigatebirds [is] notoriously complex and male, possibly a ‘first-stage’ immature male represents, perhaps, the most difficult identi- (Harrison 1983). We can find no relevant fication challenge in any seabird group’).We information about moult (in relation to the are also acutely aware of our own lack of state of the remiges) to help with ageing. For experience with this family. Our views of the example, del Hoyo et al. (1992) stated that Eilat bird were, however, very good, allowing ‘pattern of moult in frigatebirds is not well- us to record objectively the crucial patterns known and there appears to be a lot of indi- of the underbody and the underwing. We vidual variation’. Flight feathers are not believe that these are sufficient to identify moulted during the breeding season; primary this individual with certainty as a Lesser moult takes about three months to com- Frigatebird. The following outline of the plete. process by which we arrived at our conclu- sion summarises our available identification Distribution information in relation to the Eilat bird. The breeding range of Lesser Frigatebird is The prominent, solid white spur on the centred on Australia and the central Pacific underwing-coverts at once rules out Greater islands, with a small population in the South Frigatebird F. minor. The remaining four Atlantic (Harrison 1983; del Hoyo et al.

British Birds 93: 22-27, January 2000 25 Riddington & Reid: Lesser Frigatebird in Israel

1992). Whilst the adults are thought to be fairly sedentary (del Hoyo et al. 1992), imma- tures are known to wander widely, with pre- vious records from as far north as Japan and even Siberia. Thus, it is perhaps not too sur- prising that Lesser Frigatebird has now occurred in the Western Palearctic.

References del Hoyo, J., Elliot, A., & Sargatal, J. 1992. Handbook of Birds of the World. vol. 1. Barcelona. Harrison, P.1983. Seabirds. London. ------1987. Seabirds of the World: a photographic guide. London.

Dr Roger Riddington, Chapel Cottage, Dun- rossness, Shetland ZE2 9HG Alan Tate 26. Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel, Tuamotu Jane Reid, 6 West End, Hutton Rudby, Yarm, Islands, March 1997. Cleveland TS15 0DJ

EDITORIAL COMMENT publishing place for Israeli records is in British Birds has, in the past, deliberately “European news” in British Birds. The chosen not to publish papers documenting address of the Committee is P.O. Box 4168, individual occurrences of rare birds outside Eilat 88102, Israel. Britain & Ireland, on the grounds that the ‘Acceptance of the first Israeli record of most appropriate place for these to appear is Lesser Frigatebird (Roger Riddington & Jane in the relevant national or regional journals. Reid), 1st December 1997, Eilat, Israel. Even Looking at the mirror image, we might not with only two of the four members of the be entirely happy if the definitive paper doc- Israeli Rarities Committee having had field umenting a bird new to Britain were to be experience of Lesser Frigatebird when exam- published in, say, an Austrian or an Australian ining the description, and despite the fact journal merely because the bird had been that the bird was not photographed, the discovered by Austrian or Australian record was fully accepted, based on the fol- observers when they were on holiday in lowing criteria: Britain. In this case, however, the Israeli Rari- 1. The description submitted to the Com- ties Committee has requested that we mittee was of the standard required for publish the full details of this occurrence, such a record. and we are very happy to do so. We shall 2. By the way in which the observers assess future such requests on their merits. described the bird’s behaviour, shape, size On behalf of the Israeli Rarities Com- and plumage characters, and in relation to mittee, Hadoram Shirihai has commented as the normal field conditions (e.g. light) in follows: ‘The present members of the Israeli the area (see note below), it is possible to Rarities Committee are Barak Granit, Ehud evaluate the following two points: Dovrat, Eyal Shochat and Hadoram Shirihai. a. The observers are experienced and The Committee was established in 1987, reliable (as also shown by the other birds and, owing to the country’s small number of reported by them during the same trip). experienced local observers, the Committee b. It is possible to exclude misidenti- often consults with other European commit- fied (even though only superficially tees or other experts when dealing with dif- similar) Brown Sula leucogaster or ficult or lesser-known vagrants. As most skua Catharacta/Stercorarius. So, the records still come from visitors, it is often bird can clearly be accepted as a frigate- important to get an opinion on the bird Fregata (e.g. by size, shape, flight observers’ reliability from their own mode, general plumage characters, struc- country’s rarities committee. Our official ture and colour of bill).

26 British Birds 93: 22-27, January 2000 Riddington & Reid: Lesser Frigatebird in Israel Alan Tate 27. Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel, Tuamotu Islands, March 1997.

3. The bird provided good, prolonged views, ‘On the basis of these points, the record allowing the observers to assess, objec- was accepted as referring to Lesser Frigate- tively,the specific, crucial details. bird. 4. Thus, the main issue to be checked care- ‘This record is another outstanding fully was whether the record could be instance of a seabird reaching the Western accepted as Lesser Frigatebird and was Palearctic region from the Indian Ocean not another species of frigatebird. through the Red Sea. For such species, however, there is often a lack of good SIZE/STRUCTURE/JIZZ: Close to the size of identification references, and these are Grey Heron Ardea cinerea (i.e. the frequently birds with which European and wingspan); uniformly slender and pointed Israeli observers are unfamiliar. We (and angled) wings, with very long “hands”; recommend that European birders bear in very long tail. Considered smaller and more mind the effect of the strong desert light, slender than Magnificent Frigatebird F. mag- which often creates problems in a high- nificens (in comparison with one of the salinity tropical sea area such as that at Eilat. observer’s previous experience with that Such conditions often make birds look larger, species in Brazil, not long before the observa- much paler and more contrastingly tion at Eilat). Buoyant and lazy flight action, patterned. From about midday, the light over with unhurried deep wingbeats. the Bay of Eilat, to the west and southwest PLUMAGE: Restricted, but solid and quite of North Beach, causes birds to look much distinct,“tongue” of white extended onto the darker or even fully black. The same applies underwing-coverts. A clear white patch on to days with low-pressure systems, when the mid-breast (covering no more than half the heat-haze over the water sometimes the breast/belly and with some dark makes birds look very different. Moreover, blotching on the breast, at least at the top of many of the rare seabirds that come to Eilat this white area); impression of the dark of are worn and sometimes strongly bleached, the belly extending into the white breast creating misleading plumage patterns. So, area in the shape of an inverted “U”. beware!’

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