The world’s oldest bird laid an egg at the age of 74.
According to an American news agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pacific Region reported that Wisdom, the world’s oldest seabird, has returned to the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in Hawaii. Experts estimate that this could be her 60th egg. Wildlife officials noted that Wisdom and her partner, Akeakamai, have been coming back to this location in the Pacific to lay eggs since 2006. Typically, Wisdom lays one egg per year. However, Akeakamai hasn’t been seen for several years, and when she returned last week, she was spotted with another bird.
Jonathan Pliesner, a wildlife expert at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, expressed optimism, saying, “We hope this egg will successfully hatch.” Albatross birds typically sit on an egg for about seven months, and the chick will leave the nest and fly to the sea after about five to six months. They spend most of their lives flying over the ocean, feeding on squid and fish. Pliesner added that Wisdom began laying eggs in 1956 and has successfully raised nearly 30 chicks. The average lifespan of a Laysan albatross is 68 years.