When we think of the Hawaiian Islands, what springs to mind is generally the 400-mile stretch of the 8 main islands: Maui, O’aho, Hawaii, and others. However, the archipelago stretches about 1,600 miles (2,400 km) and encompasses 137 islands, some of which barely rise above the water.
Russian explorer Yuri Lisianski “discovered” a small atoll in 1805 (already well-known to natives) and named it after himself. Uncertainty surrounding the pronunciation and spelling of his name resulted in others calling it simply Laysan’s island.
One of the birds that nests on Laysan Island was subsequently named the Laysan albatross. There are 22 recognized species of albatross. The Laysan albatross is one of the smaller varieties, with a wingspan of around 6 feet. By contrast, the largest albatross, the wandering albatross, has a wingspan of about 12 feet. •Another island in the Hawaiian archipelago is called Midway. Its name comes from its position, almost exactly halfway between North America and Asia, and precisely halfway around the world longitudinally from Greenwich, England. This atoll is small, measuring only 2.4 square miles. Located 1,310 miles northwest of Honolulu, it is not considered part of the state of Hawaii.
Midway played a key WWII role in the Battle of Midway. It is also a vital nesting site for the Laysan albatross. About 70% of the world’s population of them breeds there. The U.S. Navy left in 1993, and the atoll became the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.
In 1956, the U.S. Geological Survey sent a crew to Midway to study birds and band them for identification. • In 1956, ornithologist Chandler Robbins placed tag #Z333 on the leg of an adult female albatross. Because the bird was incubating an egg and Laysan’s albatrosses don’t mate until at least age five, her age was estimated to be at least five years. Thus, she must have hatched in 1951 or earlier.
The bird has been tracked every year since its original banding. Although the albatross mates for life, she has outlived several partners over the decades. Her identification band has been replaced six times. Over the years, she has laid between 50 and 60 eggs (one each season) and successfully raised at least 30 chicks. Previously, it was believed that the Laysan albatross lived 40 to 50 years, but her return to Midway for the 2026 mating season confirmed she is now at least 75 years old.
In 2006, a field biologist who replaced her leg band dubbed her Wisdom. •One of Wisdom’s sons has nested near her in the past, which lets Wisdom watch her grandchicks grow up. •When not nesting, Laysan albatrosses spend their time foraging across the entire North Pacific Ocean, traveling to Alaska, the Bering Sea, and Japan. It’s been estimated that Wisdom has flown over 3,000,000 miles since 1956, which is equal to 120 times the Earth’s circumference. •Other birds have lived longer. For instance, Cocky Bennett, the cockatoo, died in 1916 at the verified age of 120. However, Wisdom is the oldest known wild, free-range bird.
Chandler Robbins returned to the wildlife refuge regularly throughout his life to check on the bird he banded in 1956, including visits when he was in his 80s and 90s before his death at 99 in 2017. Wisdom, the albatross he banded, still lives on.
