The rarest native seabird on Christmas Island, the frigatebird, is featured as part of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Conservation Stamp Collection.

The frigatebird (Fregata andrewsi) is the rarest endemic seabird on Christmas Island, listed as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Considerable areas of the frigatebird’s former breeding habitat have been cleared, and its current breeding areas are now threatened by the invasive Crazy Ant and pollution from past phosphate mining. 

The male frigatebird is all black, except for a small white patch on the belly and brownish areas on the wings. It has a grey-black beak and develops a large, red and inflatable throat sac during courtship. The female has a black head and throat, white breast and belly, a white collar around the neck and a pink beak. The juvenile has a white or russet head and breast, white belly and a pale grey or flesh-pink beak.

Technical Details

Issue date: 17 August 2010

Issue withdrawal date: 31 January 2011

FDI withdrawal date: 21 September 2010

Denominations: 2 x 60c, 2 x $1.80

Stamp design: Ego Guiotto

Product design: Jo McAlpine

Printer: McKellar Renown

Paper: Tullis Russell

Printing process: Lithography

Stamp size: 35mm x 35mm

Perforations: 14.28 x 14.28

Sheet layout: Modules of 50

National postmark: Christmas Island, WA 6798

published September 4th, 2010