World's oldest-known wild bird lays an egg in Hawaii at age 74 – WJXT News4JAX
WEATHER ALERT
Hallie Golden
Associated Press
Published:
Updated:
Hallie Golden
Associated Press
Wisdom, the legendary Laysan albatross or ml, stands at center over her recently laid egg with other seabirds around the ground nest on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024 in Honolulu. (Dan Rapp/USFWS via AP)
The oldest known wild bird in the world has laid an egg at the ripe age of about 74, her first in four years, U.S. wildlife officials said.
The long-winged seabird named Wisdom, a Laysan albatross, returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge at the northwestern edge of the Hawaiian Archipelago and laid what experts estimate may be her 60th egg, the Pacific Region of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service said in a Facebook post this week.
Recommended Videos
Wisdom and her mate, Akeakamai, had returned to the atoll in the Pacific Ocean to lay and hatch eggs since 2006. Laysan albatrosses mate for life and lay one egg per year. But Akeakamai has not been seen for several years and Wisdom began interacting with another male when she returned last week, officials said.
“We are optimistic that the egg will hatch,” Jonathan Plissner, supervisory wildlife biologist at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge said in a statement. Every year, millions of seabirds return to the refuge to nest and raise their young.
Albatross parents take turns incubating an egg for about two months. Chicks fly out to sea about five to six months after hatching. They spend most of their lives flying over the ocean and feeding on squid and fish eggs.
Wisdom was first banded as an adult in 1956 and has raised as many as 30 chicks, Plissner said.
The typical lifespan of a Laysan albatross is 68 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
___
This story has been corrected to say albtross eggs incubate for about two months, not seven.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines.
Recommended Videos
TV Listings
Email Newsletters
RSS Feeds
Contests and Rules
Contact Us
Careers at WJXT / WCWJ
Closed Captioning / Audio Description
WJXT Public File
WJXT EEO Report
WCWJ Public File
WCWJ EEO Report
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Do Not Sell My Info
FCC Applications
If you need help with the Public File, call (904) 393-9801.
At WJXT, we are committed to informing and delighting our audience. In our commitment to covering our communities with innovation and excellence, we incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance our news gathering, reporting, and presentation processes. Read our article to see how we are using Artificial Intelligence.
Copyright © 2024 News4JAX.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings.
