Wisdom (Z333) is a wild female

Laysan albatross The Laysan albatross (''Phoebastria immutabilis'') is a large seabird that ranges across the North Pacific. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are home to 99.7% of the population. This small (for its family) gull-like albatross is the second-most ...

. She is the oldest confirmed wild bird in the world as well as the oldest banded bird in the world.

Biography

Banding

Wisdom hatched around 1951, and possibly earlier. In 1956, she was tagged by scientists as #Z333 at the

Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; haw, Kauihelani, translation=the backbone of heaven; haw, Pihemanu, translation=the loud din of birds, label=none) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the Unit ...

. It is likely that Wisdom is older than 70, as, when she was banded in 1956, she was conservatively estimated to be five years old — the earliest age that the Laysan albatross reaches sexual maturity. The person to attach the first tag was

Chandler Robbins Chandler Seymour Robbins (July 17, 1918 – March 20, 2017) was an American ornithologist. His contributions to the field include co-authorship of an influential field guide to birds, as well as organizing the North American Breeding Bird Surve ...

, who was a senior scientist at the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

(USGS). Birds are banded so that their populations can be monitored and individuals' longevity, behavior and

migration patterns Animal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migration in ecology. It is found in all major animal groups, including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, ...

can be studied. The USGS have tracked Wisdom since she was first tagged and estimated that Wisdom has flown over since 1956 (approximately 120 times the circumference of the Earth). To accommodate her longevity, the USGS have replaced her tag a total of six times.

Fertility

Albatrosses lay one egg per year, and have

monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a form of Dyad (sociology), dyadic Intimate relationship, relationship in which an individual has only one Significant other, partner during their lifetime. Alternately, only one partner at any one time (Monogamy#Serial monogamy, ...

mates for life. '' Smithsonian'' speculated that, due to Wisdom's unusual longevity, she may have had to find another mate in order to continue breeding. Biologists estimated that Wisdom has laid some 30–40 eggs in her lifetime and that she has at least 30–36 chicks. She has successfully hatched a chick every year since 2006. * Between 2005 and 2014, Wisdom laid eight eggs. She and her chick survived the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...

that killed an estimated 2,000 adult Laysan and black-footed albatrosses and a much larger number of chicks at the Refuge. * On December 3, 2014, Wisdom made headlines when she laid an

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...

at Midway Atoll. Her mate had arrived at the atoll on November 19, and Wisdom was first spotted by the Refuge staff on November 22. The egg was estimated to be the 36th she had laid. * She hatched and reared another chick in December 2016 at the approximate age of 66. * In December 2017, she bred again. * In December 2018,

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

(USFWS) Pacific Region reported that Wisdom had returned to the Midway Atoll and laid an egg, which hatched in February 2019. * In December 2020, it was reported that Wisdom was again incubating an egg. The chick hatched on February 1, 2021. * On November 26, 2021, she was once again seen at the atoll. Her long-time mate, Akeakamai, did not return, and she did not breed that season. But her chick from 2011 had a chick of its own (making Wisdom "a granny"). * In December 2022, it was reported that Wisdom had been spotted on Midway Atoll in the new season, but Akeakamai was still missing.

Impact

The USFWS stated, "Wisdom's continued contribution to the fragile albatross population is remarkable and important. Her health and dedication have led to the birth of other healthy offspring which will help recover albatross populations on Laysan and other islands." Bruce Peterjohn, chief of the

North American Bird Banding Program The North American Bird Banding Program (NABBP), along with its Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL), has its home at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. The program is jointly administered by the Canadian Wildlife Service (and its Bird Banding Office) ...

, stated that Wisdom " asnow the oldest wild bird documented in the 90-year history of heUSGS-FWS and Canadian bird banding program. To know that she can still successfully raise young at age 60-plus, that is beyond words." Wisdom has received coverage from many major news sources in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and elsewhere, including ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

'', ''

Discovery News Discovery, Inc. was an American multinational mass media factual television conglomerate based in New York City. Established in 1985, the company operated a group of factual and lifestyle television brands, such as the namesake Discovery Channe ...

,'' and ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...

''. In January 2020, Wisdom was featured in episode 3, "Hawaii", of

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

's ''

Earth's Tropical Islands ''Earth's Tropical Islands'' is a 2020 British television series co-produced by the BBC Natural History Unit and PBS. It premiered on 1 January 2020 in the United Kingdom on BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast televi ...

''.

References

External links