Nature
World’s Oldest Wild Bird Has Another Chick with 62
Mark Hoffman
First Posted: Feb 06, 2013 10:13 PM EST
An albatross female at least 62-year-old, but possibly 70 years or older, and known as 'Wisdom' hatched a chick for the sixth consecutive year on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, reports the U.S. Geological Survey.
According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Pete Leary, the chick is healthy. It was in 1956 that Wisdom was first banded by U.S. Geological Survey scientist Chandler Robbins while incubating an egg. She was at a minimum 5 years old then, the earliest age at which her species is biologically able to breed, but a normal age to have the first child is with 8 or 9, and after a very involved courtship lasting over several years.
"Everyone continues to be inspired by Wisdom as a symbol of hope for her species," Doug Staller, the Fish and Wildlife Service superintendent for the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (Monument), which includes Midway Atoll NWR, said in a press statement.
The health of this seabird was monitored by staff and volunteers at Midway. Over the decades, she has worn out five bird bands.
In her entire breeding life, she has raised at least 30-35 chicks, reports Bruce Peterjohn, chief of the North American Bird Banding Program at the USGS.
"As Wisdom rewrites the record books, she provides new insights into the remarkable biology of seabirds," Peterjohn said in a statement. "She demonstrates the value of bird banding to better understand the world around us."
The information Wisdom offers will help scientists study about the long life of the bird.
As reported in NBC News, the Laysan albatross have a wingspan of 6 feet and fly for about 50,000 miles as adults, indicating Wisdom has flown at least 2 million since she was first banded.
According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, 19 of 21 species of albatross are threatened with extinction.
See Now:
NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone
©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
More on SCIENCEwr
First Posted: Feb 06, 2013 10:13 PM EST
An albatross female at least 62-year-old, but possibly 70 years or older, and known as 'Wisdom' hatched a chick for the sixth consecutive year on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, reports the U.S. Geological Survey.
According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Pete Leary, the chick is healthy. It was in 1956 that Wisdom was first banded by U.S. Geological Survey scientist Chandler Robbins while incubating an egg. She was at a minimum 5 years old then, the earliest age at which her species is biologically able to breed, but a normal age to have the first child is with 8 or 9, and after a very involved courtship lasting over several years.
The health of this seabird was monitored by staff and volunteers at Midway. Over the decades, she has worn out five bird bands.
In her entire breeding life, she has raised at least 30-35 chicks, reports Bruce Peterjohn, chief of the North American Bird Banding Program at the USGS.
"As Wisdom rewrites the record books, she provides new insights into the remarkable biology of seabirds," Peterjohn said in a statement. "She demonstrates the value of bird banding to better understand the world around us."
The information Wisdom offers will help scientists study about the long life of the bird.
As reported in NBC News, the Laysan albatross have a wingspan of 6 feet and fly for about 50,000 miles as adults, indicating Wisdom has flown at least 2 million since she was first banded.
According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, 19 of 21 species of albatross are threatened with extinction.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone