Frigatebirds are truly remarkable creatures that embody the spirit of Kiribati's natural beauty and sense of adventure. With their striking black and white plumage, large wingspan, and aerial acrobatics, frigatebirds are a sight to behold. But what really sets them apart is their distinctive red throat pouches, which the males inflate to attract mates during breeding season.

These incredible birds are also known for their incredible stamina, able to stay aloft for days on end without touching down on land. They roam the open ocean, taking advantage of winds and thermals to stay airborne, and are often seen circling above the coral atolls of Kiribati.

For me, the frigatebird is a true emblem of Kiribati's unique identity and natural heritage. Adding this magnificent bird to Slowly's collection of stamps would be a fantastic way to share a piece of Kiribati's magic with the world, and to celebrate the beauty and wonder of these incredible creatures.

Kiribati has UNESCO World Heritage

As a vast expanse of largely pristine mid-ocean environment, replete with a suite of largely intact uninhabited atolls, truly an oceanic wilderness, the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (408,250 sq km), the largest marine protected area in the Pacific, is globally exceptional and as such is a superlative natural phenomenon of global importance.

Phoenix Islands Protected Area contains an outstanding collection of large submerged volcanoes, presumed extinct, rising direct from the extensive deep sea floor with an average depth of more than 4,500 metres and a maximum depth of over 6,000 metres. Included are no less than 14 recognised seamounts, submerged mountains that don't penetrate to the surface. The collection of atolls and reef islands represent coral reef capping on 8 other volcanic mountains that approach the surface. The large bathymetric range of the submerged seamount landscape provides depth defined habitat types fully representative of Pacific mid oceanic biota.

Due to its great isolation, Phoenix Islands Protected Area occupies a unique position in the biogeography of the Pacific as a critical stepping stone habitat for migratory and pelagic/planktonic species and for ocean currents in the region. Phoenix Islands Protected Area embraces the full range of marine environments in this area and displays high levels of marine abundance as well as the full spectrum of age and size cohorts, increasingly rare in the tropics, and especially in the case of apex predator sharks fish, sea turtles, sea birds, corals, giant clams, and coconut crabs, many of which have been depleted elsewhere. The overall marine tropic dynamics for these island communities across this archipelago are better functioning (relatively intact) compared with other island systems where human habitation and exploitation has significantly altered the environment. The complete representation of ocean and island environments and their connectivity, the remoteness and naturalness are important attributes which contribute to the outstanding universal value.

ready-made design for the stamp