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This albatross has lived twice as long as most birds in her species
lived so long that her band has had to be changed six times. Wisdom has likely produced 50 to 60 eggs in her lifetime and has raised as many as 30 chicks. This is remarkable for any wild bird. Today, albatrosses and their chicks face many dangers from predators, sea levels rising, pollution, and an increase in strong storms that destroy their breeding habitat. Wisdom’s long life is especially remarkable because she has had to overcome all these dangers. Scientists study birds by putting a small, numbered band on their leg. This helps scientists tell which bird is which. More than 275,000 albatrosses have been banded on Midway Atoll since 1936. Why Band an Albatross?
MIDWAY ATOLL – In November 2024, a Laysan albatross in the Midway Atoll islands laid an egg.
Read the articles on this page. Then answer the questions below!
Midway Atoll
Who is this article about?
Hawaiian Islands
Why is this news? This albatross is thought to be 74 years old. Some people believe this means she is the oldest bird in the world. In 1956, scientists put a small band with an ID number on her leg. They named her Wisdom. Her band number is Z333. When they put this band on Wisdom, these scientists thought she was about 5 years old. Most albatrosses live for 12 to 40 years. Wisdom is believed to be 74 years old. Wisdom has
What is the main news event in the article?
Where did it happen?
An albatross egg, seen above, is about twice the size of a chicken egg. They take about 60-79 days to hatch.
When did it happen?
Wide, Wide Wingspan
Did You Know…? Like other albatrosses, Wisdom likely spends the year ying around the North Paci c and/or southern Bering Sea, resting from time to time on the water to eat. Scientists believe that Wisdom has own more than 3 million miles over the open sea. That is like ying from the Earth to the moon and back six times!
Why is it newsworthy?
The wandering albatross is the largest member of the albatross family. This bird is one of the largest birds in the world. They have the largest wingspan, ranging from 8.23 to 11.8 feet. ACTIVITY: Stretch your arms out wide. Have a family member measure your “wingspan” from ngertip to ngertip.
© Vicki Whiting February 2025
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