Ohio is no stranger to having unusual birds make a rare visit to the state, with white pelicans, American avocets, glossy ibises, roseate terns and black-bellied whistling-ducks making brief appearances.
But the bird that was recently spotted in the Canton area may be a first. It has only been spotted a handful of times in the United States, per the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service.
The lesser frigatebird is native to the Pacific and Indian oceans. But one was recently seen in Stark County, according to birders who shared their photos on Facebook and Instagram. Here’s where.
Lesser frigatebird spotted in Ohio at Sippo Lake near Canton and Massillon
The lesser frigatebird was spotted on May 23 at Sippo Lake, between Canton and Massillon in Stark County, where it circled the area for several hours until dusk, according to social media posts.
Birders with cameras came out the next day to get photos after the find was shared online and found the bird still in the region. However, it drifted out of sight that morning and didn’t return, according to a Facebook post.
Frigatebird sighting a first for Ohio, one of a few in the US
The lesser frigatebird has only been spotted a handful of times in the United States, according to Forest Service records. The last time one was spotted this far east was 1960. Those sightings include:
Another lesser frigatebird was spotted in May 2026 in San Clemente, California, SFGate reports via Yahoo News.
What does a lesser frigatebird look like? Where are they found
Lesser frigatebirds (Fregata ariel) are the smallest of the frigatebird species, according to ebird.org. Adult males are almost entirely black with a red throat and white spurs originating on the body to under the wings. Adult females are larger than the males, and have a black belly and white throat, white breast and hind collar, with similar spurs.
The seabirds are around 30 inches in length, per animalia.bio, and are found in tropical and subtropical waters across the Indian and Pacific Oceans as well as off the Atlantic coast of Brazil.
Other rare bird sightings in Ohio
The lesser frigatebird isn’t the only rare bird to visit the Buckeye State.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Rare bird makes first visit to Ohio. Where it was spotted
Reporting by Chad Murphy, USA TODAY NETWORK / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
