World’s oldest known wild bird lays egg at the age of 74

The world’s oldest known wild bird has astonished experts as she laid an egg at the remarkable age of 74, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Wisdom, a female wandering albatross, was recently spotted nurturing her egg at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, located off the northwest coast of the Hawaiian Islands. This is believed to be her 60th egg, a testament to her incredible longevity.

John Pilsner, a wildlife expert at the sanctuary, noted that Wisdom is one of 2 to 3 million wandering albatrosses that migrate to Midway to breed. The refuge hosts the largest colony of wandering albatrosses in the world.

Typically, birds of this species have a lifespan of 12 to 40 years. Wisdom’s extraordinary survival is attributed to her being tagged in 1956, at the age of five, allowing researchers to monitor her for decades.

Wisdom’s previous chick hatched in February 2021, when she was nearly 70 years old, leaving experts astonished. Her former mate, Akikamai, who had been with her since 2012, has not been seen in recent years. 

Wisdom now has a new partner, a rare occurrence for wandering albatrosses, which usually remain with one mate throughout their lives. Wisdom is believed to have had three partners over her lifetime.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service shared on X (formerly Twitter) that Wisdom's ability to adapt to new partners might be linked to her advanced age. Over her lifetime, she is thought to have raised more than 30 chicks.

Biologists say Wisdom is unmatched in age among birds. 

Despite her age, they believe she still has the energy to produce another chick as her eggs have a 70 to 80 percent chance of hatching.