Laysan albatross, 65, again a mother

A 65-year-old Laysan albatross named Wisdom — the oldest known bird in the wild, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — is a mother again following the hatching of a chick Feb. 1 at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, part of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

“From a scientific perspective, albatrosses are a critical indicator species for the world’s oceans that sustain millions of human beings as well,” refuge manager Robert Peyton said in a news release. “In the case of Wisdom, she is breaking longevity records of previously banded birds by at least a decade. With over a million albatross on Midway Atoll alone, this shows just how much is left to learn about the natural world around us.”

The albatross, who was first tagged on Midway Atoll in 1956, has raised at least eight chicks in the last decade and as many as 40 in her lifetime, according to monument officials.

Wisdom left her nest Jan. 20 in search of food, leaving her mate to watch over the egg. She returned Sunday, allowing her mate to take off to find food.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of albatrosses arrive on Midway in late November. In December volunteers counted 470,000 active nests across the atoll.