The Lesser Frigatebird is a seabird with long narrow wings and a deeply forked tail. It ranges over tropical oceans and is recorded as a vagrant in New Zealand.
In breeding condition, the adult male inflates a red throat sac during courtship. Females have a white neck and breast with a black head, while immatures have an orange head and white belly.
It catches flying fish in the air and may harass other seabirds until they disgorge food, then catch the dropped prey in flight. It rarely swims.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
On Bedout Island after Cyclone Ilsa, a four-hour survey in July 2023 observed three Lesser Frigatebirds. A June transect recorded eight Lesser Frigatebird carcasses.