In general, the smaller the bird, the shorter its average lifespan, although this is not always the case. In the UK, garden birds tend to live for only about 2 or 3 years but hummingbirds, which are much smaller than most garden birds, live for an average of 4 to 6 years.

The maximum age recorded for wild birds is often much higher than the average which shows that birds have the capacity to live longer if they manage not to succumb to any of the risks that may kill them. For example, great tits tend to survive for only about 3 years, but the oldest recorded ringed great tit was 10 years and 5 months old, while the oldest ringed magpie was 21 years and 8 months despite having an average lifespan of just 5 years.

Which is the oldest wild bird?

A Laysan albatross called Wisdom currently holds the record for the oldest known living bird. It’s estimated that she’s at least 70 years old and is still breeding and successfully rearing chicks.

Seabirds in general have a much longer lifespan than most other birds, living for anywhere between twenty and sixty years on average. Of the other longevity records of North American birds held by the Patuxent Research Refuge, the majority are seabirds as can be seen in the table below.

When at sea, seabirds are often the apex predator and only at risk from ground predators when then come inland to breed. Their food supply is not as affected by changes in weather, and they can quickly move to new sources of food if required.

Seabirds also tend to lay small clutches and lay just one clutch a year, with some only breeding once every two years. They may not start breeding until they are ten years old, and they invest a lot of effort in caring for their young. Frigatebird chicks, for example, take up to six months before they fledge the nest, and their parents will care for them for a further fourteen months. Except for the phalaropes, both parents in all species of seabird look after their offspring and most are seasonally monogamous with some species, such as petrels, mating for life.

Although adult seabirds face less risks of dying at sea, breeding failure is not uncommon, and the marine environment is harsh for young birds who need to spend time learning how to find prey that is often widely dispersed. By investing more resources rearing their chicks, seabirds can ensure that their offspring reach reproductive age themselves.

What is the longest living British bird?

The longest living British bird is also a seabird, a Manx shearwater. It was tagged when it was at least 5 years old at the Bardsey Bird Observatory off the Llyn Peninsular in Wales in 1957 and was found in the same place over 50 years later in 2008.

In 2003 a Manx shearwater was also discovered on the Copeland Islands in Northern Ireland ,49 years, 11 months, and 4 days, after it had been ringed in 1953.

Again, most of the longevity records recorded by EURING, a coordinating organisation for European bird ringing schemes are held by seabirds.

What is the oldest bird in captivity?

Birds in captivity face much fewer risks than wild birds. They are protected from predators, have a regular food supply, and can be treated for disease.

According to Guinness World Records, the record for the oldest captive bird is held by Cookie, a pink cockatoo, also known as Major Mitchell’s cockatoo or Leadbeater’s cockatoo.

He arrived at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago in May 1934 when he was estimated to be at least a year old. In 2007, Cookie developed osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, the latter of which may have been brough on by the seed-only diet he was fed for the first 40 years of life. Apart from this he was in good health. In 2009, he retired from public display although he made occasional appearances such as on his birthday which was celebrated in June. Cookie died on the 27th of August 2016 when he was at least 82 years and 89 days old.

Two other parrots that aren’t officially recognised by Guinness World Records have lived even longer than Cookie.

Poncho, a red-and-green macaw, also known as a green-winged macaw, was owned by Birds and Animals Unlimited a company that supplies animals to Hollywood studios including Warner Brothers and Universal. She starred in several well-known films including Ace Venture: Pet Detective with Jim Carrey, and the 1998 remake of Doctor Dolittle starring Eddie Murphy.

In 2000, she arrived in the UK to film 102 Dalmatians with Glen Close but was too sick to travel home, so was adopted by a pet shop. She died in Shropshire in 2023 at an estimated age of 97.

Another parrot that has supposedly lived even longer is Charlie, a blue-and-yellow macaw that lives in a garden centre in Reigate in Surrey. The current owner claims that she was once owned by Winston Churchill who taught her to screech anti-Nazi propaganda and obscenities aimed at Hitler.

However, representatives from Churchill’s estate dispute this noting that, although Churchill was fond of animals, he only ever owned a grey parrot which he sold before becoming prime minister.

It’s claimed that Charlie hatched in 1899 which would make her 123 years old, and older than Cocky Bennett, a sulphur-crested cockatoo, who died in 1916 at the grand old age of 119.

Other long-lived birds held in captivity include Greater, a greater flamingo that lived at Adelaide Zoo in Australia and died in 2014 when it was at least 83 years old, and Thaao, an Andean condor, kept in Beardsley Zoo in Connecticut who died in 2010 at the age of 79.