General
Information is based on dictionaries and other sources. Pinyin readings reflect standard Mandarin usage; for some dialect alternative names it may be of little practical use, especially for South China. Many Korean glosses are highly tentative. Comments and corrections welcome.
The frigate birds are known as 军舰鸟 meaning 'warship-bird' in Chinese. This name appears to have come from English (either from 'frigate bird' or the alternative 'man-o'-war bird'), probably via Japanese.
The name 军舰鸟 is used on Taiwan for Fregatta minor in Chinese. On the Mainland, however, it has long the trend among Mainland ornithologiests to call the species 小军舰鸟 'small frigatebird', based on the Latin name Fregata minor. The Latin name came about because the bird was originally named Pelecanus minor (literally 'small pelican') and retained the misleading minor when it was transferred to the genus Fregata.
Fauna Sinica (1997) rather confusingly gives ［小］军舰鸟 '[small] frigatebird', while listing 小军舰鸟 'small frigatebird' as an alternative name. The problem is finally resolved in Zheng Guangmei's world list of birds by naming F. minor 黑腹军舰鸟 'black-bellied frigatebird'.
Species names
ABOUT THIS TABLE (Hover cursor to see) SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH |
CHINESE |
EAST |
SOUTH | NORTH |
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| Fregata | ||||||||
Latin |
English | Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Mongolian |
Fregata andrewsi |
Christmas Island frigatebird Christmas Island frigate bird | 白腹军舰鸟 (白腹軍艦鳥) 'white-bellied warship-bird' |
シロハラグンカンドリ (白腹軍艦鳥) shiro-hara gunkan-dori 'white-bellied warship-bird' |
Chim Cốc biển bụng trắng 'white-bellied sea-cormorant (bird)' |
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| Fregata minor |
Great frigatebird Great frigate bird | 黑腹军舰鸟 (黑腹軍艦鳥) 'black-bellied warship-bird' (2, 4) 小军舰鸟 (小軍艦鳥) 'small warship-bird' (1, 3, 5) |
(军舰鸟) 軍艦鳥 'warship-bird' |
オオグンカンドリ (大軍艦鳥) ō gunkan-dori 'large warship-bird' |
큰군함조 keun-gunham-jo 'large warship-bird' (군함조=軍艦鳥) |
Chim Cốc biển đen 'black sea-cormorant (bird)' |
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| Fregata ariel |
Lesser frigatebird Lesser frigate bird | 白斑军舰鸟 (白班軍艦鳥) 'white-striped warship-bird' |
(白斑军舰鸟) 白斑軍艦鳥 'white-striped warship-bird' |
コグンカンドリ (小軍艦鳥) ko gunkan-dori 'small warship-bird' |
군함조 gunham-jo 'warship-bird' (군함조=軍艦鳥) |
Chim Cốc biển bé 'small sea-cormorant (bird)' |
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