how old is the oldest bird

5. Cookie (June 30, 1933 – August 27, 2016)

[vc_column_text css=”. vc_custom_1504985542516{background-color: #dadada !important;}”] Oldest Age Reached: 83 years old in 2016 Species and Gender: Male Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo Location: near Chicago, Illinois, USA Owner(s): : Brookfield Zoo [/vc_column_text].

photo source: Chicago Zoological Society

In contrast to many of the other birds on this list, Cookie’s age was proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Given his age verification, Cookie is presently the oldest parrot ever recorded by Guinness World Records. A year before Cookie became one of the first animals at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago in 1934, she was born at the Taronga Zoo in Australia. Cookie was the oldest animal resident at the zoo and the last animal from the original Brookfield Zoo collection to survive until his death in 2016.

During Cookie’s time at Brookfield Zoo, he became so popular and famous that people from around the world, including a holy man from India, sent Cookie letters, cards, gifts, and even made trips to see him at the zoo. In late 2017, a year after Cookie’s death, the Brookfield Zoo announced that it was erecting a life-size bronze statue of Cookie in front of its Reptiles and Birds exhibit.

8. Wisdom (c.1951 – Present)

[vc_column_text css=”. vc_custom_1504985542516{background-color: #dadada !important;}”] Oldest Age Reached: about 68 years old in 2018 Species and Gender: Female Laysan Albatross Location: Papah?naumoku?kea Marine National Monument, Midway Atoll, a U. S. The owner of the territory is None; Wisdom is a banded wild bird [/vc_column_text]

photo source: Wikimedia Commons

The world’s oldest banded (tracked) bird is Wisdom, a female Laysan albatross, who is also the oldest known bird in the wild. Wisdom made headlines in late 2017 when she successfully laid an egg at the age of 67! She had also successfully laid an egg the year before, and scientists are still perplexed as to how an elderly bird can still successfully lay eggs.

Ornithologist Chandler Robbins first tagged Wisdom in 1956, when he estimated that she was about 6 years old. Wisdom was last seen by Robbins in 2002, at which point she updated her tag. Wisdom has been returning to the Papah?naumoku?kea Marine National Monument to nest ever since. Wisdom has successfully hatched an egg every year since 2006.

7. Thaao (1930 – January 6, 2010)

[vc_column_text css=”. vc_custom_1504985542516{background-color: #dadada !important;}”] Oldest Age Reached: 80 years old in 2010 Species and Gender: Male Andean Condor Location: Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA Owner(s): : Beardsley Zoo [/vc_column_text].

photo source: Los Angeles Times

Not much is known about Thaao an Andean condor from the Beardsley Zoo in Connecticut. In 2010, it was reported that Thaao had died and that the he was believed to be the oldest Andean condor in captivity before his death.

Thaao spent the most of his life at the Pittsburgh Zoo before moving to the Beardsley Zoo in 1993. Thaao was one of the first animals in the nation, according to the Beardsley Zoo, to be tracked through a breed registry—a list of all known members of a particular breed. Thaao was born in the wild. Gregg Dancho, director of the zoo, stated that Thaao served as an animal representative for both the zoo and environmental initiatives.

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