Age is just a number.
Wisdom, the world’s oldest known wild bird at 74 years old, has recently laid her first egg in four years at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in Hawaii. This remarkable Laysan albatross, known for her long lifespan, returned to the Pacific island last week and formed a new bond with a male partner, as reported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Pacific Region. Wisdom, who has been nesting at the same site for decades, follows a typical behavior of returning each year to lay one egg.
For years, Wisdom was reunited with her long-time mate, Akeakamai, but he has not been seen in recent years. While her new partner’s age remains unknown, he was tagged for future tracking. The pair was seen interacting affectionately in a video shared by USFWS Pacific, with Wisdom rubbing her head against her partner as he took on the task of incubating their egg. The male bird will incubate the egg for around three weeks before Wisdom takes over the duty.
Jon Plissner, a wildlife biologist at Midway Atoll, expressed joy at Wisdom’s ability to continue laying eggs after so many years and remarked on her impressive instincts and energy. Researchers are hopeful that the egg will successfully hatch, marking another milestone in Wisdom’s extraordinary life. She has laid between 50 and 60 eggs and raised approximately 30 chicks throughout her lifetime.
Wisdom was first identified and banded in 1956 when she was around six years old, and large seabirds like the Laysan albatross typically don’t breed before age five. Despite her age, Wisdom has outlived the average lifespan of her species, which is typically around 68 years. Her story continues to captivate wildlife enthusiasts and researchers alike, as she remains a symbol of resilience and longevity in the animal kingdom.
