News from the Atoll

September 2025

frigates are fascinating

Tetiaroa Nature Series: One species at a time

Ep 1: Discover the Ōtaha, the frigatebirds of Tetiaroa

Ia Ora Na

Welcome to our brand new “Tetiaroa Nature Series”, your gateway to discovering the unique flora and fauna of Teti’aroa and deepening your understanding of its ecosystem.

Step away for a moment and enjoy a nature break. In this first episode, we spotlight the Ōtaha, the fascinating frigatebirds of Tetiaroa.

Did you know that some frigatebirds can stay in flight for more than two months without ever landing? To do this, frigatebirds also need to rest. They do so in flight by sleeping with one hemisphere of their brain at a time (just like dolphins).

These queens of the sky, called Ōtaha in Tahitian, glide over the Tetiaroa atoll with fascinating ease. Here, two species share the sky: the Great frigate, the largest in Polynesia, and the Lesser frigate, smaller but extremely agile, nicknamed "the acrobat of the sky ."

male frigatebird showing his red throat pouch

Males are distinguished by their spectacular red pouch, which they inflate to attract females, while juveniles have red heads. But beware: despite their incredible aerial abilities, these seabirds are surprisingly clumsy on water and on land, and some even engage in “kleptoparasitism,” stealing food from other birds.

Discover all the secrets of these “sky pirates” and their unique role in Tetiaroa in our full article on our website.

Read the full first episode on our website

Tetiaroa Society is a US registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID #45-1080688). We host scientific research, develop and implement conservation and education programs, and curate the island's knowledge base. We partner with The Brando to establish Tetiaroa as a model for sustainability, where businesses, non-profits, scientists, educators and the local community work together for common goals. Our program objectives are summarized in our Conservation and Sustainable Use Plan, which is available on our website.

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