Conquering the code to eternal life has been the goal of some. Billions of dollars have been invested in the quest for immortality. And yet, so many of us are still being outlived by birds. Despite being considerably smaller than ourselves, with brains nowhere near as developed as our own, it seems there are some birds that can live as long as 80 years or more.
How certain species are able to survive for so long is a question scientists are still trying to obtain a definitive answer to.
However, longevity is not equally distributed throughout the bird kingdom.Whilst some avians live to great ages, others barely survive their first year.
This article will look at some of those species at either end of the spectrum – from the world’s oldest birds, to those with the shortest lifespans. We’ll also be exploring birds that have obtained great ages in captivity.
The Birds that Live the Longest
If I told you that there are birds that could outlive the average human lifespan, would you believe me?
Whilst many birds don’t survive past their first year, there are birds with a lifespan of anywhere between 20 – 60 years.
And that’s just the average – there are many recorded cases of birds far exceeding this lifespan.
There is one particular group of birds that seem to live the longest: the seabirds.
Scientists aren’t 100% certain as to why seabirds live the longest, but predation and food availability could play an important factor.
Living most of their life on the wing, adult seabirds rarely come ashore. This eliminates the risk of coming into contact with potential predators.
Either that, or it’s the simple sea air that does wonders for the mind and soul.
Laysan Albatross
The Laysan albatross is a species of large seabird common around the Hawaiian Islands.
A long term bird ringing project, started in 1956 and led by renowned ornithologist Chandler Robbins, on Midway Island in the North Pacific Ocean continues to this day.
And the data has been quite spectacular.
In 2017, at the age of 67, a Laysan albatross had laid a healthy egg. She is the oldest known wild bird and has been breeding on the reserve since records began.
In 2023, the USFWS reported that Wisdom had once again returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, making her at least 73 years old.
Black-footed Albatross
Like the Laysan albatross, the black-footed albatross can be found throughout the Hawaiian atoll. The black-footed albatross is slightly larger than its cousin, and can be distinguished by their greyer hues and longer wingspan.
Black-footed albatrosses are among some of the oldest lived birds with longevity records ranging from 40 to over 60 years.
They, like many other seabirds, mate for life.
Manx Shearwater
The Manx shearwater is a medium-sized sooty black and white seabird. It is Britain’s longest-lived wild bird.
I had the privilege of working with Manx shearwaters in the Scilly Isles, approximately 30 miles off the Cornish coast in the UK. I observed them breed and raise their chicks in burrows within steep and inaccessible cliffs.
On average, Manx shearwaters live to be 15 years old. However, in 2008, an individual caught in North Wales was recorded to have been 50 years old. It was first caught and tagged in 1957.
Flamingo
It’s not just seabirds that have long lifespans.
All 6 species of flamingo have an average lifespan between 20–30 years in the wild, but they can live up to 50 years in captivity.
The oldest flamingo on record was a greater flamingo who lived to be 83 years old at the Adelaide Zoo in Australia.
Betty, an American flamingo residing at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, was 67 years old at the time of her passing in 2022.
Scarlet Macaw
Macaws are somewhat a speciality of mine.
I spent years in Costa Rica working with scarlet macaws – arguably one of the most beautiful birds in the world.
But it’s not just their beauty that is impressive.
That’s right, they’re also on the list for one of the longest lived birds – capable of reaching a grand old age of 50 years in the wild.
Rewind to 2012 in Costa Rica. This year marked a significant milestone for progressive conservation – the year when it became illegal to own any exotic animals.
Macaws, one of the most commonly sighted pets within Costa Rica, are now prohibited to own.
Great!
But there was one problem.
In captivity, macaws can live to be 75 or older.
Due to their longevity, many macaws had been with their owners for many many decades and, as such, were proving hard to be rehabilitated and rehomed. Some even outlived their owners.
So, it was agreed that owners who could prove they had their macaws for more than 40 years would be allowed to keep them. Even still, special ownership permits from the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) had to be obtained.
Birds Live Longer in Captivity
The wild can be a scary place.
Predators lurk around every corner.
Competition for food is fierce.
Competition for mates is even fiercer.
But all these worries just disappear for those living in captivity.
Now, I’m not saying all animals should be kept in captivity because, let’s be honest, it’s a pretty bleak and depressing existence – a whole manner of health problems can arise.
However, animals that are in captivity generally do live a lot longer than their wild counterparts.
In captivity, birds don’t need to worry about predators. They don’t need to worry about searching for their own food. They can even be treated with medication if they’re to get sick.
According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the title of World’s Oldest Parrot goes to a cockatoo – a group of parrots native to SouthEast Asia and Oceania.
At 1 year old, he arrived at Brookfield Zoo, Chicago, in 1934, where he remained until his death in 2016 – making him a whooping 82 years old.
But the case of the cockatoo is not a one-off.
There are countless records of captive birds long surpassing their would-be wild lifespan.
In 2010, news of Thaao, an Andean condor, caught the attention of many people. At the time of his death, he was said to have been 80 years old. Typically, wild condors don’t live past 50 years, making Thaao the oldest living condor in captivity, and most likely the oldest condor in the world.
The Birds That Don’t Live a Long Time
Have you ever heard the saying “slow and steady wins the race”?
Well, these guys didn’t get the memo.
In biology, the whole point of survival is to stay alive long enough to pass on your genes to the next generation.
And some birds do exactly that.
In their opinion, there’s no point waiting around, evading predators at every possible chance.
Instead, some bird species live just long enough to reach sexual maturity, find a mate, and get down to business. Simple as that.
Typically, birds with a shorter lifespan are smaller birds. And ones you’re likely to see in your own backyard.
European Robin
In Europe, one of our most familiar and most loved of all garden birds is the robin.
With its vivid red breast, and their tendency to stay close whilst you do a spot of gardening, they are hard to confuse with any other bird.
Unfortunately, robins have an average lifespan of just 13 months, and about one in four never even reach the age of one.
House Sparrow
The house sparrow is a small passerine bird that can be found across the entire globe.
Despite their global dominance, their life expectancy is very short – rarely exceeding 2 years of age.
Because of this, house sparrows are opportunistic foragers and can be seen frantically collecting seeds, insects and a range of human-derived food, such as breadcrumbs.
This behavior allows them to reach sexual maturity from a young age, approximately just 1 year old.
Northern Bobwhite
The Northern bobwhite is a quail-like bird found across Eastern and Southern USA.
Whilst their dappled plumage offers excellent camouflage in their grassy habitat, they are at the bottom of the food chain.
A whole host of animals prey on the bobwhite – from mammals and reptiles, to other birds such as hawks and harriers.
But despite their short lifespan, they make up for it with prolific breeding abilities. In a single breeding season, a bobwhite pair can produce 2 or 3 broods, totaling 25 offspring or more.
In recent years, populations of the Northern Bobwhite have plummeted, perhaps owing to habitat loss and changes in agriculture.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
The only native hummingbird breeding in Eastern North America, the ruby-throated hummingbird energetically darts from flower to flower, consuming nectar as they go.
Because of their high metabolism, they must eat a lot to survive – roughly half their body weight a day.
As it is, the ruby-throated hummingbird only has a life expectancy of 4 years on average (although, the oldest recorded ruby-throated hummer reached 9 years of age). However, with human expansion, and the loss of vital food sources, competition is fierce and many do not survive their first year.
How Long do Birds Live? Final Thoughts
The bird kingdom is diverse – not only in appearances, but also longevity.
Some species, most notably seabirds, are able to survive for many decades.
Other birds, such as our own backyard residents, rarely exceed a year or two.
The major factors affecting how long birds live is predation and metabolism.
However, in our ever changing world, even those long-lived species are becoming more susceptible to an early grave, owing to our own bad practices – such as habitat loss, overexploitation of food sources and the exotic pet trade, to name a few.
