[1] First tagged in 1956 at Midway Atoll by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), she was still incubating eggs as late as 2024 and has received international media coverage in her lifetime.

When she was banded in 1956, she was conservatively estimated to be five years old—the earliest age that the Laysan albatross reaches sexual maturity—corresponding to a hatching date of the 1950-51 breeding season at the very latest.

[5] Birds are banded so that their populations can be monitored and individuals' longevity, behavior and migration patterns can be studied.

[6] in 2006, John Klavitter, a United States Fish and Wildlife Service biologist at Midway, gave Wisdom her name while he was replacing her band.

[8] Smithsonian speculated that, due to Wisdom's unusual longevity, she has had to find several successive mates in order to continue breeding.

[16][17] In December 2018, United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Pacific Region reported that Wisdom had returned to the Midway Atoll and laid an egg,[18] which hatched in February 2019.

Her health and dedication have led to the birth of other healthy offspring which will help recover albatross populations on Laysan and other islands.