National Recovery Plan for the Christmas Island Frigatebird Fregata andrewsi
Habitat lossHabitat loss
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Habitat loss
Since early settlement, the nesting distribution of Christmas Island Frigatebirds has been fragmented by human development resulting in the three colonies that remain today. Early accounts suggest that the shore terrace of Flying Fish Cove may once have been their main breeding area (Andrews 1900, Gibson-Hill 1947, 1949, Stokes 1988) and they probably had an almost continuous nesting distribution along the north-eastern coast from Margaret Beaches to North East Point, and a separate colony in the sheltered area where the golf course colony is now situated (Figure 1). During the early years of human settlement, much of the habitat of Christmas Island Frigatebirds in Flying Fish Cove and Settlement was cleared. Stokes (1988) estimated that approximately 90ha of breeding habitat had been cleared since settlement.