News

Oldest Wild Albatross in the World Hatched 40th Chick at the age of 65

By Kanika Gupta | Update Date: Feb 15, 2016 02:08 AM EST

An albatross in Laysan called Wisdom has hatched her 40th chick, as per US Fish and Wildlife Service. This is especially noteworthy because Wisdom at 65 years is the world's oldest albatross.

The baby chick named Kūkini, Hawaiian for "messenger," was seen emerging from her shell on 1st February while being watched over by his father, "Gooo", a name that represents number 6,000 on his leg. Gooo was taking care of Kūkini while Wisdom was away gathering squid, small fish and eggs to give to the baby. "As soon as Kūkini was secure under Wisdom, Wisdom's mate quickly marched the length of a football field towards a path through the dunes and took flight. We expect him to be back within a week or less because newly hatched albatross chicks require a consistent supply of fresh seafood," wrote staff from the United State's largest conservation area, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Honolulu, on Facebook on February 8, as reported by Christian Science Monitor

Usually, an albatross lives between 40 and 60 years and breed every year with their monogamous partners. These partners are only replaced after disappearance or death. At 65, Wisdom has had several mates. Based on observations made by the researchers, she is believed to have hatched at least 40 chicks and logged as many as 3 million miles of flight time in her entire life, says Nature World News

Wisdom was tagged for the first time in 1956 and was already a breeding adult at that time. This iconic bird has also survived the Japanese Tsunami of 2011. "She is breaking longevity records of previously banded birds by at least a decade," refuge manager Robert Peyton said in a statement. "With over a million albatross on Midway Atoll alone, this shows just how much is left to learn about the natural world around us," Live Science Reports

© 2023 Counsel & Heal All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Join the Conversation

Real Time Analytics