Jo Ann Eddy, age 12, of Indianapolis, Indiana, for her question:

What exacts is the  frigate bird?

A frigate was a type of ship that went to sea powered with sails and oars. It voyaged far and wide. Later types of frigate were armed with guns and used in convoys of wayfaring ships. The graceful frigate bird is named for the frigate ship but the reason for this is uncertain. Perhaps it was met first by frigate crews sailing in tropical seas. The huge, dark plumaged bird with its long swallow tail and ten foot wingspread certainly is impressive enough to earn a name. The ever ¬hungry fellow may have learned to follow frigates and other sailing ships for scraps of food.

The frigate bird happens to be a belligerent character and a born looter. He lives on a diet of fish and he prefers to steal his food from hard working sea birds such as terns and gannets and gulls. His robbing raids are successful because of his superior flying power and aerial acrobatics. He quietly watches for his chance and swoops down to grab a fish right from a gull's beak. When this fails, he often grabs the gull by the tail and shakes him until he drops his fish. There¬upon the faster frigate bird grabs the catch and flies gracefully away to dine at his leisure.