ifespans
How long do birds live?
It depends on the bird, but usually, the larger the bird, the longer it will live. Also, birds in good zoos, or aviaries, who are raised in captivity and receive veterinary care, can live much longer than birds who live in the wild.
For example, a pink cockatoo, which is a type of parrot, arrived fullgrown at the Brookfield Zoo near Chicago in 1934. It died at the zoo in 2016, so it was at least 83 years old.
It is impossible to tell a bird’s age just by looking at it, so only a captive bird can have its age reliably documented. Some captive parrots have lived over 100 years.
Other zoo birds with long lives include flamingoes and Andean condors, who reached more than 60 years. Lifespans of birds in the wild are calculated mostly from studying birds that have been captured, banded and then released.
As of today, the oldest known wild bird is Wisdom, a banded Laysan albatross that returns every year to her nest on Midway Atoll in the North Pacific. She is more than 70 years old, but continues to lay eggs and raise her young.
Bald eagles and sandhill cranes have reached 35 years. Some large seagulls, Atlantic puffins and Canada geese have topped 30 years. Mourning doves, mallards and great horned owls can live more than 25 years.
On the other hand, small songbirds have maximum lifespans between eight and fifteen years. Most small birds do not reach that maximum.
Birds that live mostly on the ground tend to have shorter lifespans – grouse and pheasants live about 12 years and wild turkeys don’t live much over 10 years.
Tiny hummingbirds live about as long as large turkeys, about 10 years.
All in all, if you are a bird, it is best for longevity if you live in a zoo and are on the large side. And it helps if you fly around more than you walk around.
