World's oldest known wild bird, Wisdom, cares for her newly hatched chick at 74
At the age of 74, most of us are focused on being grandparents rather than new parents. This is not the case for 74-year-old mom Wisdom, the oldest known wild bird in the world to lay an egg.
The egg recently hatched to Wisdom, a Laysan albatross, who resides at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW) Columbia Pacific Northwest branch shared the news that Wisdom was expecting back in December when she laid her first egg in four years with a new partner.
With age comes experience - she has laid between 50 and 60 eggs and fledged as many as 30 chicks in her lifetime, biologists at the wildfire refuge estimate. This one was special, however, in that it made her the oldest known wild bird in the world to do so.
Now, wildlife enthusiasts get to watch Wisdom show off her child-rearing wisdom as she cares for the chick that successfully hatched on Jan. 30. Not only that, the chick's father is in the picture too, as albatross across species takes turns caring for their chick while the other hunts and feeds to restore energy, according to the Pacific Islands USFW.
During the first week of February, Wisdom got her break from the demands of parenthood while out on her feeding trip while her mate stayed home. She returned around Feb. 7 and was caught on camera nuzzling the fuzzy, grey-and-white baby as it rested safely at her feet.
Wisdom, the world's oldest known bird, laid her first eggs in the 1950s
Wisdom was first found and fitted with a tracking band in 1956 after she laid an egg, according to the USFWS. Laysan albatrosses are not known to breed before they are five years old.
USFWS believes she has reared up to 30 chicks in her lifetime. Wisdom had previously mated consistently with an albatross, Akeakamai, who had not been seen for several years.
Cute animals for days: Sign up for Paste BN's Everyone's Talking newsletter for more online news.
The species' average lifespan is around 68 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.