Great Frigatebird

SCI Name:  Fregata minor
Protonym:  Pelecanus minor Syst.Nat. 1 pt2 p.572
Taxonomy:  Suliformes / Fregatidae / Fregata
Taxonomy Code:  grefri
Type Locality:  No type locality. Fixed as eastern half of the Indian Ocean by Rothschild, antea, p. 145 and further restricted to Christmas Island, Indian Ocean, by Lowe, antea, p. 306.
Author:  Gmelin, JF
Publish Year:  1789
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

FREGATA
(Fregatidae; Ϯ Ascension Frigatebird F. aquila) French mariners’ name Frégate for the swift, rapacious frigatebirds  < frégate  frigate, warship (originally based on Italian fregata, etymology unknown); "95. FRÉGATTE. Fregata. { Le bec long et très-crochu vers son extrémité." (de Lacépède 1799); "Fregata Lacépède, Tabl. Ois., 1799, p. 15. Type, by subsequent designation, Pelecanus aquila Linné. (Daudin, Hist. Nat. Buffon, ed. Didot, Quadr., 14, 1802, p. 317.)" (Peters, 1931, I, p. 95).   
Var. Fregatta, Gregata.   
Synon. Aquilus, Atagen, Parvifregata, Pelecanus, Tachypetes.

fregata
● German Fregatte  frigate (and other European equivalents (see Fregata)) (syn. Fregetta grallaria, syn. Fregetta tropica).
● ex “Hirundo americana” of de Rochefort 1658, and “Fregata marina apus, subtus alba, superne nigra” of Barrère 1745 (syn. Pelagodroma marina).

minor
L. minor  smaller  < comp. parvus  small. “Comparative names ... Specific names expressive of comparative size are also to be avoided, as they may be rendered inaccurate by the after-discovery of additional species. The names ... maximus, minor, minimus, etc. are examples of this objectionable practice” (Strickland Code 1842).
● ex “Short-eared Owl” of Pennant 1761 (syn. Asio flammeus).
● ex “Little Thrush” of Catesby 1731-1743, Edwards 1758-1764, Latham 1783, and Pennant 1785, “Turdus iliacus carolinensis” of Brisson 1760, and “Grivette de l’Amérique” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (syn. Catharus fuscescens).
● ex “Whip-poor-will” of Catesby 1731 (Chordeiles).
● ex “Coucou des palétuviers de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 813, “Petit Vieillard” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Mangrove Cuckow” of Latham 1782 (Coccyzus).
● "54. PICUS.  ...  minor.  12. P. albo nigroque varius vertice rubro, ano albido.  Picus albo nigroque varius, rectricibus tribus lateralibus seminigris. Fn. svec. 83. Hasselqv. iter. 242.  Picus varius tertius. Raj. av. 43.  Picus varius minor. Alb. av. I. p. 20. t. 20.  Habitat in Europa.” (Linnaeus 1758) (Dryobates).
● ex “Fregata minor” of Brisson 1760, “Petite Frégate” of de Buffon 1770-1783, “Man of War Bird” of Edwards 1760, and “Lesser Frigate Pelican” of Latham 1785 (Fregata).
● ex “Petit Indicateur” of Levaillant 1807, pl. 242 (Indicator).
● ex “Pie-grièsche d’Italie” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 32, fig. 1 (Lanius).
● ex “Perruche à ailes noires” of de Buffon 1770-1783, “Petite perruche de l’isle de Luçon, 4ème ésp.” of Sonnerat 1776, and “Luzonian Parrakeet” of Latham 1781 (syn. Loriculus philippensis).
● ex “Apiaster Philippensis minor” of Brisson 1760 (syn. Merops viridis americanus).
● ex “Little Woodcock” of Pennant 1785, and Latham 1785 (Microptera).
● ex “Troupiale de la Caroline” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 606, fig. 1, “Petit Troupiale noir” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Lesser black Oriole” of Latham 1782 (syn. Molothrus ater).
● ex “Lesser Bird of Paradise” of Latham 1783 (Paradisaea).
● ex “Barbican à ventre rose” of Levaillant 1806 (Pogonornis).
● ex “Porphyrio minor” of Brisson 1760 (syn. Porphyrula martinica).
● ex “Colymbus fluviatilis” of Brisson 1760 (syn. Tachybaptus ruficollis).
● ex “Huppe d’Afrique” of Audebert & Vieillot 1800-1802 (syn. Upupa africana).
● ex “Ringvia” of Brünnich 1764, and “Lesser Guillemot” of Pennant 1785 (syn. Uria aalge).

MINO
(Sturnidae; Ϯ Yellow-faced Myna M. dumontii) Hindi name Maina for starlings and mynahs; “Greater Minor” or “Mino” were names given to the Common Hill Mynah Gracula religiosa by Edwards 1743; "Sous-genre MINO, Mino, N. ...  Le sous-genre que MM. L. et G. établissent en conservant l'ancien nom indien de Mino ou de Minor, donné par Edwards et par Marsden au Mainate, diffère du genre Mainatus par quelques caractères assez distincts. Il semble former le passage des genres Mainatus et Pastor par l'intermédiaire du Philedon goulin (Pastor musicus, Temm., ou Gracula calva), qui devra s'y rapporter très-probablement.  ...  Une seule espèce appartient encore à ce sous-genre: c'est le Mino de Dumont (Mino Dumontii, Less.) de la Nouvelle-Guinée." (Lesson 1827); "Mino Lesson, 1827, Bull. Sci. Nat. Geol, (Bull. Univer. Sci. Indus., sec. 2), 10, p. 158. Type, by monotypy, Mino dumontii Lesson." (Amadon in Peters 1962, XV, 115).  
Var. Mina, Minor.
Synon. Eumathes, Melanopyrrhus.

SUBSPECIES

Great Frigatebird (palmerstoni)
SCI Name: Fregata minor palmerstoni
palmerstoni
Palmerston I., Pacific Ocean (named after Henry Temple 2nd Viscount Palmerston (1739-1802) Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty 1766-1777).
● ex “Palmerston Frigate Pelican” of Latham 1785 (subsp. Fregata minor).

Great Frigatebird (ridgwayi)
SCI Name: Fregata minor ridgwayi
ridgway / ridgwayi
Robert Ridgway (1850-1929) US ornithologist, Smithsonian Curator of Birds 1880-1929 (Aegolius, syn. Amazona leucocephala, subsp. Anous stolidus, Antrostomus, subsp. Arremonops rufivirgatus, Baeolophus, syn. Basileuterus culicivorus, Buteo, subsp. Buteogallus urubitinga, subsp. Camptostoma imberbe, subsp. Certhidea fusca, subsp. Chasiempis sandwichensis, subsp. Cochlearius cochlearius, subsp. Colinus virginianus, Cotinga, subsp. Cyanocitta stelleri, subsp. Dendrocincla fuliginosa, syn. Dendrocolaptes certhia concolor, syn. Dryobates scalaris parvus, subsp. Fregata minor, subsp. Geothlypis poliocephala, Glaucidium, subsp. Icterus icterus, subsp. Jacamerops aureus, subsp. Lagopus muta, subsp. Leiothlypis ruficapilla (ex Helmithophaga ruficapilla gutturalis Ridgway, 1874), subsp. Loxigilla noctis, syn. Megascops trichopsis, subsp. Myiobius atricaudus, Nesotriccus, subsp. Pandion haliaetus, syn. Passerella iliaca insularis, subsp. Pheugopedius coraya, Plegadis, subsp. Psarocolius wagleri, subsp. Scardafella squammata, Stelgidopteryx, Thalurania, subsp. Thryorchilus browni, subsp. Xenops genibarbis).

Great Frigatebird (nicolli)
SCI Name: Fregata minor nicolli
nicolli
Michael John Nicoll (1880-1925) English ornithologist, naturalist on yacht Valhalla on cruises around Africa 1902-1903, West Indies 1903-1904, and the world 1905-1906, Assistant Director Zoological Gardens, Giza 1906-1923 (subsp. Alaudala rufescens, subsp. Ammoperdix heyi, subsp. Fregata minor, Ploceus, syn. Sula sula rubripes).

Great Frigatebird (aldabrensis)
SCI Name: Fregata minor aldabrensis
aldabransis / aldabranus / aldabrensis
Aldabra Atoll, Indian Ocean  <  Arabic name al-Hadra for the islands.

Great Frigatebird (minor)
SCI Name: Fregata minor minor
minor
L. minor  smaller  < comp. parvus  small. “Comparative names ... Specific names expressive of comparative size are also to be avoided, as they may be rendered inaccurate by the after-discovery of additional species. The names ... maximus, minor, minimus, etc. are examples of this objectionable practice” (Strickland Code 1842).
● ex “Short-eared Owl” of Pennant 1761 (syn. Asio flammeus).
● ex “Little Thrush” of Catesby 1731-1743, Edwards 1758-1764, Latham 1783, and Pennant 1785, “Turdus iliacus carolinensis” of Brisson 1760, and “Grivette de l’Amérique” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (syn. Catharus fuscescens).
● ex “Whip-poor-will” of Catesby 1731 (Chordeiles).
● ex “Coucou des palétuviers de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 813, “Petit Vieillard” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Mangrove Cuckow” of Latham 1782 (Coccyzus).
● "54. PICUS.  ...  minor.  12. P. albo nigroque varius vertice rubro, ano albido.  Picus albo nigroque varius, rectricibus tribus lateralibus seminigris. Fn. svec. 83. Hasselqv. iter. 242.  Picus varius tertius. Raj. av. 43.  Picus varius minor. Alb. av. I. p. 20. t. 20.  Habitat in Europa.” (Linnaeus 1758) (Dryobates).
● ex “Fregata minor” of Brisson 1760, “Petite Frégate” of de Buffon 1770-1783, “Man of War Bird” of Edwards 1760, and “Lesser Frigate Pelican” of Latham 1785 (Fregata).
● ex “Petit Indicateur” of Levaillant 1807, pl. 242 (Indicator).
● ex “Pie-grièsche d’Italie” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 32, fig. 1 (Lanius).
● ex “Perruche à ailes noires” of de Buffon 1770-1783, “Petite perruche de l’isle de Luçon, 4ème ésp.” of Sonnerat 1776, and “Luzonian Parrakeet” of Latham 1781 (syn. Loriculus philippensis).
● ex “Apiaster Philippensis minor” of Brisson 1760 (syn. Merops viridis americanus).
● ex “Little Woodcock” of Pennant 1785, and Latham 1785 (Microptera).
● ex “Troupiale de la Caroline” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 606, fig. 1, “Petit Troupiale noir” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Lesser black Oriole” of Latham 1782 (syn. Molothrus ater).
● ex “Lesser Bird of Paradise” of Latham 1783 (Paradisaea).
● ex “Barbican à ventre rose” of Levaillant 1806 (Pogonornis).
● ex “Porphyrio minor” of Brisson 1760 (syn. Porphyrula martinica).
● ex “Colymbus fluviatilis” of Brisson 1760 (syn. Tachybaptus ruficollis).
● ex “Huppe d’Afrique” of Audebert & Vieillot 1800-1802 (syn. Upupa africana).
● ex “Ringvia” of Brünnich 1764, and “Lesser Guillemot” of Pennant 1785 (syn. Uria aalge).