World's Oldest-Known Wild Bird Hatches Healthy Chick At 62

The world's oldest-known bird has hatched a chick for the sixth consecutive year on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

A Laysan albatross known as "Wisdom" is believed to be at least 62 years old. The bird was first banded in 1956, when she was incubating an egg. The bird's age was estimated to be at least 5 years at the time, as it is the earliest age at which these birds breed.

Albatross birds typically breed at the age of 8 or 9, after involving in courtship for several years. Considering this, scientists believe that Wisdom could be even older than 62. The bird has worn out five bird bands since she was first banded in 1956.

According to Bruce Peterjohn, chief of the North American Bird Banding Program at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Wisdom might have raised at least 30 to 35 chicks during her breeding life. The bird is known to have nested in 2006 and every year since 2008.

"As Wisdom rewrites the record books, she provides new insights into the remarkable biology of seabirds," Peterjohn said in statement.

"It is beyond words to describe the amazing accomplishments of this wonderful bird and how she demonstrates the value of bird banding to better understand the world around us. If she were human, she would be eligible for Medicare in a couple years yet she is still regularly raising young and annually circumnavigating the Pacific Ocean. Simply incredible."

Wisdom has logged about 50,000 miles a year as an adult, which means that the bird has traveled at least 2 to 3 million miles since she was first banded.

Albatrosses are feathered animals that have the longest wingspan of any bird - up to 11 feet. These long-lived birds spend most of their lives on the sea. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has recognized 22 species of albatrosses that belong to the Diomedeidae family. Some of the species have been listed as critically endangered.