A tropical seabird with long wings and a deeply forked tail.
Males are almost entirely black and inflate a red throat pouch during the breeding season to display to females.
At Tern Island in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, researchers tracked six Great Frigatebirds raising chicks. Four of 11 analysed foraging trips extended beyond Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Parents returned to feed chicks every one to three days, so even early chick-rearing trips could reach beyond the protected area.
A separate male abandoned its nest and was tracked for 16 days, until its transmitter battery expired; its last position was nearly 1,100 kilometres from the island. This was not one of the 11 trips. Protecting the colony alone may not cover all marine movements, so nearby waters merit attention. The 2005 sample does not map the full annual range or current sea use.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Four of 11 early chick-rearing foraging trips crossed beyond the monument boundary in this 2005 study. Alongside protection of the breeding colony, continued tracking of nearby waters can help assess overlap with protected boundaries. The six-bird sample does not describe the species’ full current range or provide a formal conservation category or assessment date.