How long do birds live?
The oldest recorded ages of wild North American birds, longest first. Records come from banded birds found again years later. They show what a species can reach. Most individuals, especially small songbirds, live far shorter lives.
181 species
- Common Raven69 yrs
- Bald Eagle48 yrs
- Canada Goose42 yrs
- Rock Pigeon35 yrs
- Barred Owl34 yrs
- Barn Owl34 yrs
- Osprey32 yrs
- Mourning Dove31.3 yrs
- Red-tailed Hawk30.7 yrs
- Mallard29.1 yrs
- Great Horned Owl29 yrs
- Northern Cardinal28.5 yrs
- Black Vulture25.5 yrs
- White-winged Dove25 yrs
- Peregrine Falcon25 yrs
- Great Blue Heron24.5 yrs
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak24 yrs
- Common Grackle23.1 yrs
- House Sparrow23 yrs
- European Starling22.9 yrs
- Great Egret22.8 yrs
- Wood Duck22.5 yrs
- Red-shouldered Hawk22.4 yrs
- American Coot22.3 yrs
- Monk Parakeet22.1 yrs
- Black-crowned Night Heron21.1 yrs
- American Woodcock20.9 yrs
- Turkey Vulture20.8 yrs
- Red-bellied Woodpecker20.7 yrs
- Eastern Screech-Owl20.7 yrs
- Red-winged Blackbird20 yrs
- Northern Mockingbird20 yrs
- Black-billed Magpie20 yrs
- American Crow20 yrs
- Sharp-shinned Hawk19.9 yrs
- Canada Jay19.2 yrs
- Band-tailed Pigeon18.5 yrs
- Savannah Sparrow18 yrs
- Yellow-headed Blackbird18 yrs
- Gray Catbird17.9 yrs
- Eurasian Collared-Dove17.9 yrs
- Orchard Oriole17.7 yrs
- Northern Saw-whet Owl17.5 yrs
- Clark's Nutcracker17.4 yrs
- Acorn Woodpecker17.2 yrs
- American Robin17 yrs
- American Kestrel17 yrs
- Brown-headed Cowbird16.9 yrs
- Steller's Jay16.1 yrs
- Red Crossbill16.1 yrs
- Barn Swallow16 yrs
- California Scrub-Jay15.8 yrs
- Hooded Merganser15.7 yrs
- Western Tanager15.3 yrs
- Chimney Swift15 yrs
- Florida Scrub-Jay15 yrs
- White-throated Sparrow14.9 yrs
- Great Crested Flycatcher14.9 yrs
- Pinyon Jay14.6 yrs
- Purple Finch14 yrs
- Baltimore Oriole14 yrs
- Broad-tailed Hummingbird14 yrs
- Purple Martin13.8 yrs
- Bohemian Waxwing13.5 yrs
- Tufted Titmouse13.3 yrs
- White-crowned Sparrow13.3 yrs
- Warbling Vireo13.1 yrs
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow13.1 yrs
- American Goldfinch13 yrs
- Wild Turkey13 yrs
- Brown Thrasher12.8 yrs
- California Towhee12.8 yrs
- Canyon Towhee12.8 yrs
- Merlin12.7 yrs
- Eastern Meadowlark12.6 yrs
- Northern Flicker12.5 yrs
- Brewer's Blackbird12.5 yrs
- Black-capped Chickadee12.4 yrs
- Eastern Towhee12.3 yrs
- Common Redpoll12.2 yrs
- Black-and-white Warbler12.2 yrs
- Tree Swallow12.1 yrs
- Painted Bunting12 yrs
- Spotted Sandpiper12 yrs
- Scarlet Tanager11.9 yrs
- Ash-throated Flycatcher11.9 yrs
- Chipping Sparrow11.8 yrs
- Cliff Swallow11.8 yrs
- Harris's Sparrow11.7 yrs
- House Finch11.6 yrs
- Green Heron11.6 yrs
- Common Yellowthroat11.5 yrs
- Dark-eyed Junco11.3 yrs
- Song Sparrow11.3 yrs
- Black-chinned Hummingbird11.2 yrs
- Eastern Kingbird11.1 yrs
- Pine Siskin11 yrs
- Indigo Bunting11 yrs
- Spotted Towhee11 yrs
- Gila Woodpecker11 yrs
- Yellow Warbler11 yrs
- Ovenbird11 yrs
- Burrowing Owl11 yrs
- Carolina Chickadee10.9 yrs
- White-eyed Vireo10.9 yrs
- Killdeer10.9 yrs
- American Tree Sparrow10.8 yrs
- Curve-billed Thrasher10.8 yrs
- Hermit Thrush10.8 yrs
- Eastern Bluebird10.5 yrs
- Golden-crowned Sparrow10.5 yrs
- Eastern Phoebe10.3 yrs
- Fox Sparrow10.3 yrs
- Field Sparrow10.3 yrs
- Pine Warbler10.2 yrs
- Wood Thrush10.2 yrs
- Red-eyed Vireo10.2 yrs
- Snow Bunting10.2 yrs
- Mountain Chickadee10.1 yrs
- American Redstart10.1 yrs
- Bank Swallow10.1 yrs
- Red-headed Woodpecker10 yrs
- Yellow-rumped Warbler10 yrs
- Common Nighthawk10 yrs
- Lazuli Bunting9.9 yrs
- White-breasted Nuthatch9.8 yrs
- Pine Grosbeak9.8 yrs
- California Quail9.6 yrs
- Chestnut-backed Chickadee9.5 yrs
- Carolina Wren9.2 yrs
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird9.1 yrs
- Bushtit9.1 yrs
- Violet-green Swallow9.1 yrs
- House Wren9 yrs
- Oak Titmouse9 yrs
- Mountain Bluebird9 yrs
- Greater Roadrunner9 yrs
- Bobolink9 yrs
- Rufous Hummingbird8.9 yrs
- Bullock's Oriole8.9 yrs
- Yellow-breasted Chat8.9 yrs
- Rusty Blackbird8.8 yrs
- Western Bluebird8.7 yrs
- Orange-crowned Warbler8.6 yrs
- Cedar Waxwing8.2 yrs
- Pygmy Nuthatch8.2 yrs
- Eastern Wood-Pewee8.2 yrs
- Prothonotary Warbler8.1 yrs
- Black Phoebe8 yrs
- Bewick's Wren8 yrs
- Least Flycatcher8 yrs
- Horned Lark8 yrs
- Vesper Sparrow7.9 yrs
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker7.8 yrs
- Lark Sparrow7.8 yrs
- Swamp Sparrow7.8 yrs
- Green-tailed Towhee7.7 yrs
- Red-breasted Nuthatch7.5 yrs
- Gambel's Quail7.4 yrs
- Cactus Wren7.3 yrs
- Cactus Wren7.3 yrs
- Cassin's Finch7 yrs
- California Thrasher6.9 yrs
- Hoary Redpoll6.8 yrs
- Palm Warbler6.6 yrs
- Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch6.6 yrs
- Northern Bobwhite6.4 yrs
- Golden-crowned Kinglet6.3 yrs
- Yellow-throated Warbler6.1 yrs
- Costa's Hummingbird6 yrs
- Hooded Oriole6 yrs
- Black-throated Sparrow6 yrs
- Lapland Longspur6 yrs
- Brown-headed Nuthatch5.8 yrs
- Brown-headed Nuthatch5.8 yrs
- Lesser Goldfinch5.7 yrs
- Verdin5.6 yrs
- Varied Thrush5.6 yrs
- Vermilion Flycatcher5.5 yrs
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo5 yrs
- Dickcissel4.8 yrs
Source: AnAge, The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database (Human Ageing Genomic Resources).