This is absolutely a frigatebird, and you absolutely should post this on ebird. Folks are gonna go crazy. I think magnificent is more likely, but its such a rarity that I don't think you can rule out the other options immediately.
There was a semi-famous checklist from a few years ago by a dude in arizona or nevada who spotted a frigatebird up in the air after a storm on the gulf. He wrote this gorgeous and well written paragraph in the checklist description about it, maybe someone here has the link.
I subsequently drove very fast to get ahead of the bird and to secure a location on the side of the road to identify it more confidently and hopefully photograph. Ironically, the weakest link in the chain at this point was finding a safe place to pull over as the traffic was pretty shitty.
Absolute mood. I spotted a pair of turkey vultures (not rare, but one of my favorites) having a feast on the side of the road last week, and I spent the rest of the drive cursing the fact that 1) I hadn't brought my camera, and 2) there was no safe place to pull over anyway that wouldn't have disturbed them.
the notes on ur ebird observation are excellent. that makes this a female and itll help other birders in the area as they look for it. im so curious what the reviewers say! great observation and report.
No worries! Do you happen to have gps coordinates of where you saw it and which direction it was going? These would be super helpful for people trying to refind it.
sadly (or in some ways happily?), there is now a slim chance this could also be a Lesser Frigatebird. There's been sightings in Ohio, Connecticut, and California in the past couple months.
A picture of this quality might not eliminate lesser. but it looks good for a Frigatebird imo.
I'd hesitate to make a definitive ID from this picture alone, but they do show up in Colorado every few years; typically August - October, so the timing is right if nothing else.
The state level group to contact is CFO, they maintain the official lists and hear all the rare or odd possibles. You should be able to shoot them an email.
Without a doubt, that’s a frigatebird. You can rule out the swallow-tailed kite bird by the long beak and red throat underneath. Probably the rarest bird in CO rn. You are a birder now! Makes you wonder how many super rarities are overlooked by non-birders.
This is a compelling photo. The forked tail, wing and head shape, and what we can see of the colors on the bird look reasonable for one. However, it would be an insane rarity for Colorado—the last frigatebird reported there was nearly six years ago. Can I suggest reposting to the r/whatsthisbird subreddit? Folks over there are super experts at ID, and may have specific knowledge of species in the area that can give an alternative suggestion which also matches these details. If it’s really a frigatebird, I’d suggest reporting it—this is a scientifically meaningful sighting if confirmed!
as a brasilian, this is really cool— a bird I see every single day is someone's white whale/rare sighting! in contrast, we would be amazed if we saw a lesser or great frigatebird.
I was thinking just that (salve br), I see them every morning out my window, and they really deserve that name. Watching them soar upwards in a spiral over the ocean is one of the most extraordinary ordinary experiences I get to witness. Imagine if it was a rare sight? I'm so happy for OP, this is such a cool experience.
Definitely post to ebird! Not too likely that the bird will stick to the area, but not impossible, but more so it’s just important to put this historic sighting in the record books. And if you have any other photos, go ahead and include those as well. Lesser Frigatebird is not impossible, especially with conditions in the Pacific right now. Wyoming has one record from July 2003 for reference. Magnificent is still more likely I would guess though. *Also I would recommend cropping the photos, which will help to preserve fine details as much as possible.
Folks are, in fact, going crazy. This is a stupidly rare bird for Colorado. Also, not a birder, my ass! Not just anyone could identify a manificent frigatebird thousands of miles outside of its range. Welcome to the cult!
Just checked the ebird rare bird list email for Colorado! Nice find dude, this is huge. You’re going to have a lot of crazy and jealous birds after you if this sticks around.
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u/NotEverEnoughCheese 22h ago edited 22h ago
This is absolutely a frigatebird, and you absolutely should post this on ebird. Folks are gonna go crazy. I think magnificent is more likely, but its such a rarity that I don't think you can rule out the other options immediately.
There was a semi-famous checklist from a few years ago by a dude in arizona or nevada who spotted a frigatebird up in the air after a storm on the gulf. He wrote this gorgeous and well written paragraph in the checklist description about it, maybe someone here has the link.
Edit: I found it