The world’s oldest known wild bird has beaten all the odds and laid another egg at the age of 74. The Laysan albatross called Wisdom was filmed caring for her new egg and interacting with her latest partner at Midway Atoll national wildlife refuge in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii this week.
Members of Wisdom’s species usually live between 12 and 40 years but she has defied all expectations after being first tagged in 1956, when she was approximately five. Keen birdwatchers will be familiar with her distinctive Z333 tag.
The albatross’ last egg hatched in 2021 and she is thought to have had more than 30 chicks in her lifetime. It follows revelations of the two savage nicknames Dame Judi Dench’s parrot has for her.
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(Image: USFWSPacific/X)
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) captured the images of Wisdom nursing her egg with a new partner. They wrote on X about the exciting news: “SHE DID IT AGAIN!
“Wisdom, the world’s oldest known wild bird, is back with a new partner and just laid yet another egg. At an approximate age of 74, the queen of seabirds returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge last week and began interacting with a male.
“Like other Laysan albatross, or mōlī in Hawaiian, Wisdom returns to the same nesting site each year to reunite with her mate and if able, lay one egg. For decades she did this with the same partner, Akeakamai, but that bird has not been seen for several years.”
(Image: USFWSPacific/X)
The USFWS continued: “It is estimated that Wisdom has produced 50-60 eggs and as many as 30 chicks that fledged in her lifetime. Biologists first identified and banded Wisdom in 1956 after she laid an egg, and the large seabirds aren’t known to breed before age 5.
“The ageless Wisdom can be seen in these photos and videos with her well-known band number Z333. Her new mate was banded last Friday for future identification.”
Jon Plissner, supervisory wildlife biologist at Midway Atoll NWR, called Wisdom’s first egg in four years “a special joy” and said she seems to still have the energy and instincts for raising another chick. “We are optimistic that the egg will hatch,” he said.
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