Wisdom the Albatross: A Scientist Put a Tag on Her Leg in 1956… She Is Still Flying
Level A1 (Beginner) · Watch the video and do the online quiz at https://brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/wisdom-oldest-wild-bird/
A Match the words to their meanings
- leg (noun)
- egg (noun)
- wing (noun)
- chick (noun)
- mother (noun)
- albatross (noun)
- nest (noun)
- Pacific (noun)
- a woman or female animal with a baby
- a part of the body that birds and people stand on
- the place where a bird lays its eggs
- a very big sea bird with long wings
- a round thing that a baby bird comes out of
- the biggest ocean in the world
- a baby bird
- a part of a bird's body that it uses to fly
B Complete the sentences from the story
egg · Pacific · chick · mother · leg · wings · albatross · nest
- At about 74, she was a again.
- The mother and father feed the .
- Wisdom is an .
- She sat on her .
- In 1956, a scientist put a tag on her .
- Her is on the sand.
- Her are very long.
- Midway is in the .
C Did you understand?
- A scientist put a tag on Wisdom's leg in 1956.True / False
- When did the same scientist find her again?
- In 2002
- In 1960
- In 2025
- Never
- Only the mother feeds the chick.True / False
- How old is Wisdom today?
- At least 75
- About 20
- About 46
- About 5
- Wisdom is the oldest known wild bird.True / False
- In 2026, Wisdom became a grandmother.True / False
D Put the words in order
- ocean / flies / over / the / She
E Grammar: he / she / it + verb-s
We use it for present simple for things that happen again and again. I fly → she flies · I come → she comes · I find → she finds
Example from the story: She flies over the ocean.
- Every year, she back to the island. (comes / come / coming)
- Wisdom over the ocean for months. (flies / fly / flys)
- Every day, my sister to school. (walks / walk / walking)
F Your turn
Retell Wisdom the albatross's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.
Transcript
In 1956, a scientist put a tag on a bird's leg.
46 years later, he found the same bird.
This is the story of Wisdom.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
Leg. Birds stand on their legs.
In 1956, a scientist put a tag on her leg.
Egg. A baby bird comes out of an egg.
She sat on her egg.
Wing. A bird uses its wings to fly.
Her wings are very long.
Chick. A chick is a baby bird.
The mother and father feed the chick.
Mother. A mother is a woman or a female animal with a baby.
At about 74, she was a mother again.
Now, one pattern: he, she or it, plus a verb with s.
We use it for things that happen again and again.
I fly.
She flies over the ocean.
Ready? Let's begin.
Wisdom is a big sea bird.
In 1956, a scientist put a tag on her leg.
She sat on her egg.
Her wings are very long — longer than a man!
She flies over the ocean for months.
Every year, she comes back to a small island.
In 2002, the same scientist came back.
He looked at the tag on a bird's leg.
It was the same bird!
Her old partner did not come back, but she found a new one.
They had a chick.
The mother and father feed the chick.
At about 74, she was a mother again.
Today, Wisdom is at least 75.
She is the oldest known wild bird.
She still flies over the ocean.
And in 2026, her son had a chick.
Wisdom is a grandmother!
Let's review. In 1956, a scientist put a tag on her leg.
She sat on her egg.
Her wings are very long.
The mother and father feed the chick.
At about 74, she was a mother again.
And remember: she flies over the ocean.
Wisdom's story teaches us: you are never too old to start again.
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Answer key
A. 1b 2e 3h 4g 5a 6d 7c 8f
B. 1 mother · 2 chick · 3 albatross · 4 egg · 5 leg · 6 nest · 7 wings · 8 Pacific
C. 1 True · 2 a · 3 False · 4 a · 5 True · 6 True
D. 1 She flies over the ocean.
E. 1 comes · 2 flies · 3 walks