Fregata minor | great frigatebird | ʻiwa

Indigenous

Other Names: iwa

Often soaring high in the sky, the ʻiwa is commonly seen throughout the pacific They are easy to spot with their large black body and 7 ½-foot wingspan. Females have white breast feathers, while the males have a bright red throat pouch that they inflate like a balloon to attract females. In the Hawaiian language, ʻiwa means thief and refers to their bullying of other seabirds to drop their food, which they then swoop down to steal. Often, a group of ʻiwa is an omen of stormy weather approaching.

Hotspots for great frigatebird

Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge

Coastal

HikingLookoutBathroomInterpretive SignageParkingRanger Station

Māhā’ulepū Heritage Trail

Coastal

HikingParking

Pihea Trail

Wet forest

HikingLookoutParking

Lāʻie Point State Wayside Park

Coastal

LookoutParkingTrash

James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge

Wetland

HikingParking

Kaʻena Point Trail

Coastal

HikingInterpretive SignageParking

Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge

Wetland

Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge
HikingLookoutBathroomInterpretive SignageParkingPicnic areaRanger StationTrash

Kanahā Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary

Wetland

LookoutParking

SIDE TRIP: Wai‘ānapanpa State Park

Coastal

Waianapanapa State Park
HikingLookoutBathroomInterpretive SignageParkingPicnic areaTrash

Open Ocean

Open Ocean

Keāhole Point

Coastal

LookoutParking

Wailoa River State Park

Wetland

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Loko Waka Pond

Wetland

LookoutBathroomParkingPicnic areaTrash
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