Wisdom the albatross, world’s oldest wild bird, is a mother again at 68
- Wisdom, a Laysan albatross, has raised at least 31 chicks on remote Midway Atoll in the Pacific
- Laysan albatrosses typically mate for life and lay one egg per year
The oldest known wild bird in the world has become a mother again at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, US wildlife officials said.
The Laysan albatross named Wisdom has a new chick that hatched earlier this month at the remote atoll northwest of Hawaii, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Monday. Her mate, Akeakamai, was sitting on the nest at the time.
Wisdom is at least 68 years old and has raised at least 31 chicks, and perhaps as many as 36, US Fish and Wildlife Service officials said. Wisdom was first banded as an adult in 1956.
Wisdom and her current mate Akeakamai have been returning to the atoll to lay and hatch eggs since 2006. Laysan albatrosses typically mate for life and lay one egg per year.
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“She’s incredibly powerful as a symbol of why we do what we do and why people all over the world pay attention to her,” said Beth Flint, a Fish and Wildlife Service biologist. “Wisdom is rewriting history about our understanding of survivorship, how long birds live, and how often they breed.”