The Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge was established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1909. It encompasses most of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, a chain of islands and atolls stretching 1,200 miles northwest of the island of Kaua‘i. The Refuge includes a rich, varied, and unique natural, cultural, and historic legacy. Small islands and islets provide critical breeding grounds and nesting sites for endangered, threatened, and rare species that forage on land and throughout the coral reef and shallow waters of the marine environment. On June 15, 2006, the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge was overlain with a new designation as part of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

In this photo, Great Frigatebirds and Red-Footed Boobies enjoy a beautiful day in the sun.

Photo: Sarah Youngren/USFWS