World’s Oldest Wild Bird Lays Egg at Age 74

We support our Publishers and Content Creators. You can view this story on their website by CLICKING HERE.

The albatross that researchers believe to be the oldest bird in the wild has laid an egg at the impressive age of 74, wildlife officials announced.

A Laysan albatross named Wisdom, the “world’s oldest known wild bird,” was observed returning last week to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge on Midway Island, located to the northwest of the Hawaiian islands, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Columbia Pacific Northwest said:

Upon arrival, researchers said that Wisdom “immediately 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, causing Wisdom to begin courtship dances with other males,” the USFWS officials explained.

The chick that will, it is hoped, hatch from the new egg will be Wisdom’s first known offspring since 2020.

WATCH — Wisdom brings food for her chick several years ago:

The refuge’s supervisory wildlife biologist, Jonathan Plissner, said, “We are optimistic that the egg will hatch,” and called it a “special joy.”

The albatross has laid an estimated 50-60 eggs during her lifetime, Plissner added.

The lifespan of the Laysan albatross can range from 12 to 51 years, but its typical lifespan is 10 to 19 years, according to the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.