Wildlife UK Forum - Discuss the UK countryside and wildlife

I was reading a fascinating article earlier today on bird ages and how difficult it is to tell how old a bird is because they often show obvious signs of aging. Many captive birds outlive their owner, and wild birds can live much longer than I originally thought.

According to the article, the record for a bird is 80 years old for a cockatoo held in captivity. Obviously in the wild there are many more hazards and predators for a bird so they are not likely to live as long, but some robins have been known to live 12 years which I find astonishing for such a small bird.

Bird lifespans are a very interesting subject. One would think (and this is true to large degree) that larger birds would have longer lifespans. Even so, Common Ravens generally manage to live around 15 years or so in the wild--considerably longer in captivity. The ravens kept at the Tower of London have lived past the age of 44, according to records. Golden Eagles apparently live 30 years or more routinely in the wild, and longer in captivity.

Lifespans are generally tied to sexual maturity. It's intriguing that a robin can live to be 12 years of age, when they reach sexual maturity at the age of one...

Kingfisher

I'll just find a link to the article quickly......

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/bird...ndex.shtml

You're right in that lifespans are linked to sexual maturity, and 75% of robins die before they even reach this stage. 12 is a very exceptional number, I just found it incredible that any robin manages to reach that age.

That's amazing! 80 Years old! Blimey