The oldest known wild bird in the world has laid an egg at the ripe old age of 74, her first in four years. The long-winged seabird named Wisdom, a Laysan albatross, returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge at the northwestern edge of the Hawaiian Archipelago and laid what experts estimate may be her 60th egg. Wisdom and her mate, Akeakamai, have returned to the atoll in the Pacific Ocean to lay and hatch eggs since 2006. Laysan albatrosses mate for life and lay one egg per year. However, Akeakamai hasn’t been seen for several years, and Wisdom began interacting with another male when she returned last week. Officials at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge are optimistic that the egg will hatch. Every year, millions of seabirds return to the refuge to nest and raise their young. Albatross parents take turns incubating an egg for about two months. Chicks fly out to sea about 5-6 months after hatching and spend most of their lives flying over the ocean and feeding on squid and fish eggs.
