Oldest recognized wild chicken noticed within the Pacific
An albatross named Knowledge, the oldest recognized wild chicken at 70 years outdated, at the least, has as soon as once more returned to the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge within the Pacific. A volunteer noticed the septuagenarian on the refuge on Friday, December 1, 2023. And she or he seems good for her age!
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) first tagged Knowledge at Halfway, within the Fifties. The tag bears the designation Z333. Specialists estimate that she was hatched at the least as early at 1951, if not earlier. That might put her at a minimal of 72 years outdated.
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Laysan albatrosses
Knowledge is a Laysan albatross, or moli. These birds return to tiny atolls within the Pacific yearly beginning in October. Due to their lengthy lifespans, they could be a problem to check. A typical albatross lives for 2 to a few occasions the size of a biologist’s profession.
Plus, albatrosses are troublesome to check as a result of they spend as much as 90% of their lives within the air, shifting from their summer season feeding floor within the northern Pacific, to the tiny atolls within the mid-Pacific which might be their locations to nest.
Albatrosses are ‘near-threatened’
The inhabitants of the Laysan albatross falls within the class of “near-threatened.” They’re now not hunted as they had been within the early 1900s. However their numbers haven’t but recovered.
In 2009, scientists estimated that round 10,000 albatrosses died yearly attributable to poisoning at Halfway. Chicks born in nests near buildings left behind by the Navy ingested lead-based paint chips that led to their deaths.
By August 2018, the U.S. had remediated the lead drawback and declared Halfway Atoll lead-free.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has said:
Knowledge’s continued contribution to the delicate albatross inhabitants is outstanding and necessary. Her well being and dedication have led to the beginning of different wholesome offspring, which is able to assist get well albatross populations on Laysan and different islands.
Backside line: A beloved albatross named Knowledge is the world’s oldest recognized wild chicken. She’s greater than 70! And she or he simply returned once more to her winter nesting floor.
Read more: New chick for oldest known wild bird Wisdom
