World's Oldest-Known Wild Bird Lays New Egg at 74: 'We Are Optimistic It Will Hatch'

Mar. 15, 2025

Wisdom, the legendary Laysan albatross, stands at center over her recently laid egg with other seabirds around the ground nest on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.Photo:Dan Rapp/USFWS/AP

Dan Rapp/USFWS/AP

The world’s oldest known wild bird may soon be a mom again!

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)posted on X(formerly known as Twitter) on Tuesday, Dec. 3, that Wisdom, a 74-year-old Laysan albatross, has laid a new egg, her first in four years.

“SHE DID IT AGAIN!” the agency announced.

The FWS explained that Wisdom returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean “last week” — a place that she visits every year to “reunite with her mate” and “lay one egg.” However, the bird’s original mate, Akeakamai, had not “been seen for several years.”

However, Wisdom was seen “interacting” with another male, whom she mated with to lay her latest egg. The FWS noted that he was “banded” for “future identification.”

The albatross’s first egg in four years is “a special joy,” according to Jon Plissner, a supervisory wildlife biologist at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. He noted that despite her old age, Wisdom “seems to still have the energy and instincts for raising another chick.”

He added in afollow-up postthat they “are optimistic that the egg will hatch.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The FWS captioned the videos: “Two black-and-white seabirds stand over and move around their ground nest and newly laid egg, as one parent prepares to incubate and other albatross move about.”

Wisdom stands at right with red leg tag next to her new partner as they admire their recently laid egg at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.Dan Rapp/USFWS/AP

The FWS didn’t share the exact number of eggs Wisdom cared for in her lifetime but estimated that it was between “50-60 eggs.” The agency also noted that she has produced “as many as 30 chicks that fledged in her lifetime.”

Wisdom — whose band number is Z333 — was first “identified and banded” in 1956 after she laid an egg, though it is unclear how old she was then. The FWS noted that “large seabirds aren’t known to breed before age 5.”

According to theAmerican Bird Conservatory, there are approximately 2.5 million Laysan albatrosses worldwide, and they often nest in the winter “on sandy islands” in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

source: people.com