I know that I am late, but today is World Albatross Day, and this is an albatross named Wisdom.
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| Wisdom and chick in 2011 |
Her barely visible band was applied way back in 1956, so Wisdom is at least 70 years old. She was she was still incubating eggs as late as 2024, and was last seen in February 2025.
The USGS has tracked Wisdom since she was first tagged and estimated that Wisdom has flown over 3,000,000 miles (4,800,000 km) since 1956 (approximately 120 times the circumference of the Earth). To accommodate her longevity, the USGS has replaced her tag a total of six times
. . . Albatrosses lay one egg per year, and usually have monogamous mates for life. Smithsonian speculated that, due to Wisdom’s unusual longevity, she has had to find several successive mates in order to continue breeding. Biologists estimated that Wisdom has laid some 30–40 eggs in her lifetime and that she has at least 30–36 chicks.
This is identified as her chick, spotted in this February (2025), but, apparently, that is her mate in the video.
70 years old! What???
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful name! Wisdom! And she was banded the year I was born! 1956! I had no idea these birds could live that long. Lovely post, thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAmazing birds!
ReplyDeleteThey are so beautiful! She was certainly a bird to be remembered!
ReplyDeleteWell...I am wiser now that I've been to your blog although no one will ever name me 'Wisdom'. I had absolutely no idea that albatross could live that long. What a great nugget of information. She's older than I am.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know any bird lived that long. The aviaries in zoos should have some pretty old ones. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteOkay, I've heard of parrots living long lives, sometimes outliving their owners. Hmmm. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful. I don't think I've ever seen a photo of an albatross -- and what a life! She's a beauty.
ReplyDeleteBirds never fail to amaze me! Thanks for sharing this info about Wisdom, AC.
ReplyDeleteCurious if she is considered a cougar among albatrosses.
ReplyDeleteThat is one impressive Albatross!
ReplyDeleteHow you find these pearls of information is amazing. I keep using that word. Loved this, especially the mileage. yikes.
ReplyDeleteIt is a much prettier bird than I imagined, having heard the saying "having an albatross around your neck" too frequently.
ReplyDeleteWell, who knew?!
ReplyDeleteWisdom truly lives up to her name. It’s incredible to think she’s still nesting and flying after all these years. Nature never stops surprising us.
ReplyDeleteIts such a solid reminder of resilience and dedication in the wild.