Egg Laid By World’s Oldest Banded Wild Albatross
- 9 years ago
Wisdom, a 63-year-old Laysan albatross living in Hawaii, has lain yet another egg.
Wisdom, a Laysan albatross estimated to be around 63 years old, has laid yet another egg at her home on an atoll about 1200 miles northwest of Honolulu.
She is the oldest known banded bird living in the wild, and is believed to have already raised about 35 offspring.
Mating and child rearing isn’t a casual affair among the species.
Only one egg is laid at a time, so it’s particularly important that everything goes well.
Males and females couple for life, and once the egg is produced they share in the early incubation responsibilities.
It’s an all or nothing process, as if something goes awry and the shelled embryo doesn’t make it, there will not be another attempt until the mating season rolls around again in the following year.
If it does succeed, a great deal of time is spent preparing the little one to go and live on its own.
The whole process takes about a year.
Wisdom has enjoyed a phenomenal chick survival rate in recent years, with 8 of her 9 most recent attempts being successful.
Officials from the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge are anticipating that the latest will emerge in early February.
Wisdom, a Laysan albatross estimated to be around 63 years old, has laid yet another egg at her home on an atoll about 1200 miles northwest of Honolulu.
She is the oldest known banded bird living in the wild, and is believed to have already raised about 35 offspring.
Mating and child rearing isn’t a casual affair among the species.
Only one egg is laid at a time, so it’s particularly important that everything goes well.
Males and females couple for life, and once the egg is produced they share in the early incubation responsibilities.
It’s an all or nothing process, as if something goes awry and the shelled embryo doesn’t make it, there will not be another attempt until the mating season rolls around again in the following year.
If it does succeed, a great deal of time is spent preparing the little one to go and live on its own.
The whole process takes about a year.
Wisdom has enjoyed a phenomenal chick survival rate in recent years, with 8 of her 9 most recent attempts being successful.
Officials from the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge are anticipating that the latest will emerge in early February.