Scientists say the bird is an 'iconic symbol of inspiration and hope'

Wisdom, who is the world's oldest known bird at 65 years old, has exceeded all expectations by becoming a mom for the 40th time.

Unlike other Laysan Albatrosses, who typically live between 12 to 40 years, Wisdom has astounded scientists time and time again, since females are thought to become infertile later in life.

The newborn chick, named Kukini after the Hawaiian word for 'messenger', emerged from its shell earlier this month at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in Hawaii, about 1,300 northwest of Honolulu.

Wisdom the 65-year-old Laysan Albatross, gave birth to Kukini at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in Hawaii earlier this month

Most Laysan Albatrosses live between 12 and 40 years, and scientists say the females become infertile in their later years. Pictured, Wisdom feeding baby Kukini

Kukini, named after the Hawaiian word for 'messenger', can be seen breaking out of her shell earlier this month. She is thought to be Wisdom's 40th chick

ALBATROSSES UNDER THREAT Five trillion pieces of plastic litter are floating in the world’s oceans, which is killing countless animals a year, including albatross chicks. It is thought that 269,000 tons of plastic are clogging up the oceans - weighing the equivalent of two large cruise liners. Scientists reported finding billions of plastic shopping bags, bottles, toys, action figures, toothbrushes, fishing gear and even toilet seats floating in the waves. Plastic pollution kills huge numbers of seabirds, marine mammals and other creatures, while discarded fishing nets trap dolphins, sea turtles and manta rays. Fragments also lodge in the throats and digestive tracts of animals, attracted by the bright colours of the plastics and mistake them for fish. One horrific picture of an albatross chick, dead on a beach in the north Pacific, reveals the scale of the global problem. Advertisement

Layan albatrosses are monogamous animals, laying at most just one egg each year.

Wisdom was tagged by scientists in 1956 when she was about five years old. Since then, she's given birth to about 40 chicks and has flown more than 3 million miles.

Because the birds are seen as a barometer for the ocean's ecosystem and its ability to sustain life, Robert Peyton of the Midway refuge, said: 'Wisdom is an iconic symbol of inspiration and hope.'

Experts at the US Fish and Wildlife Service claim Wisdom is the oldest bird they know of in the organisation’s 90-year history.

She has consistently laid eggs over the past three decades, giving birth to eight chicks since 2006.

Refuge manager Dan Clark said: ‘She provides to the world valuable information about the longevity of these beautiful creatures.

‘In the case of Wisdom, she has logged literally millions of miles over the Pacific Ocean in her lifetime to find enough fish eggs and squid to feed herself and multiple chicks, allowing us the opportunity to measure the health of our oceans which sustain albatross as well as ourselves.’

Laysan albatrosses breed on the Hawaiian islands of Oahu, at Kaena Point, and on Kauai, at Kilauea Point.

About 99.7per cent of the bird's population of 2.5million live in the northwestern Hawaiian islands.

Their feeding grounds are off the west coast of North America, including the Gulf of Alaska, and they spend their first three to five years constantly flying, never touching land. Scientists believe they even sleep while flying over the ocean.