The bird shown on Fiji’s shield within its flag is a dove.
The white dove appears in the shield’s third quarter, holding an olive branch as a symbol of peace. The shield is adapted from Fiji’s coat of arms, granted by royal warrant in 1908. Other quarters show sugar cane, a coconut palm, and bananas, reflecting important crops and agriculture.
Fiji’s flag was adopted at independence on 10 October 1970. It retains the Union Jack and a light-blue field, reflecting Fiji’s historical links with Britain and its Pacific setting. The shield is placed toward the fly side rather than in the center of the flag.
A common mix-up is confusing the dove with the frigatebird on Kiribati’s flag or the bird of paradise on Papua New Guinea’s flag. Fiji’s dove also appeared on the earlier flag of the Kingdom of Fiji from 1871 to 1874.