‘The queen of seabirds’ has a new chick — in her 70s. See the adorable video
The oldest known banded wild bird is now the mother to yet another chick — in her 70s.
Wisdom, a Laysan albatross sometimes called the “the queen of seabirds,” has a new chick, Friends of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge announced in a Feb. 6 post on Facebook.
Wisdom’s mate was “the attending parent” when the chick fully hatched into the world Jan. 30, the refuge said, noting that “Wisdom is out at sea replenishing her energy.”
She’s had plenty of practice with motherhood as she’s estimated to have produced up to 60 eggs and 30 chicks over her lifetime, McClatchy News previously reported.
Wisdom was first banded in 1956 while sitting on her nest, which means she’s now at least 74 years old because “Laysan albatross do not reach sexual maturity until at least age 6 and may not breed successfully until ages 8-10,” Friends of the Midway Atoll wrote on its website.
The group didn’t share a name for the chick or for Wisdom’s mate, who she was seen interacting with last year. Wisdom’s former long-term partner, Akeakamai, stopped returning to Midway Atoll, McClatchy News previously reported.
Laysan albatross nest on land but spend long stretches at sea, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In the Feb. 6 video, Wisdom’s new mate is seen standing over and tending to the chick, eventually using his body to cover it while adding to the nest.
Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is at the Hawaiian archipelago’s far northern end.
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