World’s Oldest Wild Bird, Wisdom, Lays Egg at 74
The 74-year-old Laysan albatross, identified as the oldest known wild bird, has returned to Midway Atoll with a new mate and laid her first egg in four years.
- Wisdom, a Laysan albatross, is the world’s oldest known wild bird at approximately 74 years old and was first banded in 1956.
- She has laid her first egg in four years at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, a key nesting site in the Pacific Ocean.
- Wisdom’s new mate, identified and banded by researchers, will share incubation and feeding duties if the egg hatches, which is expected in early 2025.
- Over her lifetime, Wisdom is estimated to have laid 50-60 eggs, with as many as 30 chicks successfully fledging, despite outliving at least three mates.
- Laysan albatrosses, a near-threatened species, face challenges such as climate change and plastic pollution, making Wisdom’s contribution to the population particularly significant.
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