Longevity Records of North American Birds. Version 2024.1.

Last updated December 2024

How long can a bird live? What is the oldest banded bird? These commonly asked questions can be answered using bird banding data. While some researchers might find more meaning in the mean or average lifespan of a population, the age limit of a species reflects life history traits and identifying differences in longevity patterns between species can reveal unique threats or conservation needs.

While no bander goes out to study the maximum lifespan of a species as the only reason for their banding, every bander can contribute to this information. The information on life span is collected every time a banded bird is reported to the North American Bird Banding Program (NABBP). Thus, by nature, the maximum longevity record cannot be longer than the time span that researchers have been studying that species. The longevity records for banded birds also reflects the lifespan of the bands used, a period that, for some species, is shorter than the lifespan of the birds themselves. Most banders that are working on species with long lifespans, however, use a hard metal band that will last as long as the bird lives. We are still learning a lot about how long some species can survive in the wild and this list will be updated annually as our database grows.

The NABBP’s longevity table includes the oldest known individual of a bird species, as assessed from records submitted to the NABBP database by banders and members of the public and verified by BBL biologists. We did not include vagrant individuals or those that were captive-reared or rehabilitated. The BBL does not issue bands for some species native to North America (e.g., upland game birds and condors) and records for these species are not included on the table. We also excluded records that were collected during the same season as the bird was banded (e.g., an after second year warbler that was banded in May and recaptured in July would not qualify, even if no other records of the species exist). For these reasons, some species do not appear in the longevity table. Further, the number of banding and encounter records for a species in the NABBP database reflects a variety of characteristics, including the species’ range and their conservation or gamebird status, and there is great disparity between species. For example, Laysan Albatross is a well-studied North American species with millions of banding and recapture records in the NABBP database. The longevity record for Laysan Albatross (i.e., Wisdom) is therefore much more biologically meaningful than the longevity record for Northern Giant Petrel, a large seabird that ranges the southern oceans for which the NABBP has fewer than 500 banding records and only 12 encounter records. Please regard the records within the NABBP longevity table with caution as they only represent what has been reported to the NABBP, not all records known world-wide.

This list will be updated annually.

A Note to Banders
If banders have recaptures or resights for individuals that are older than those in the current longevity table, or for species not listed, please report these to the NABBP through the Bander Portal. If you are checking your recoveries for longevity records, please remember that we do not use encounters for which we cannot obtain the encounter or mortality date (e.g., recoveries of bands found without the bird or on a skeleton).

How minimum age at encounter is calculated
The minimum age of individuals in the longevity table is based on the age of the bird at banding (which tells us the year or latest possible year of hatching) and the date the bird was recovered or recaptured. We assume a June hatching date for the majority of North American species, or the month of banding if the bird is a hatch year or local bird and the banding month is earlier than June. For example, a bird banded as a second year in July 1990 and encountered in August 1997 would be 8 years and 02 months of age since we presume it hatched in June 1989. This generalization aligns well with the breeding season of most North American species and makes it easier to compare records across species or groups of species. For tropical and southern hemisphere species, we assigned a hatch month of either February or June based on the species’ most common breeding cycle.

For more information on how a bird's age at banding is classified, click here.

For a more detailed explanation for how the minimum age at encounter is calculated, click here.

Longevity Records
How to cite our longevity records
A series of publications that list minimum age records were published from 1982 through 1989 in the Journal of Field Ornithology (citations given below). In 2024, the most recently added longevity records were published in the North American Bird Bander (citation below). However, there were many additions to the longevity table between 1989 and 2024 that have no formal publication. Whenever possible, please cite the publications below for records contained within. All other records should reference this website:

Bird Banding Laboratory. North American Bird Banding Program Longevity Records. Version 2023.2. Eastern Ecological Science Center. US Geological Survey. Laurel, MD.

References:

Clapp, R. B., M. K. Klimkiewicz, and J. H. Kennard. 1982. Longevity records of North American birds: Gaviidae through Alcidae. J. Field Ornithol. 53(2):81-124.

Clapp, R. B., M. K. Klimkiewicz, and A. G. Futcher. 1983. Longevity records of North American Birds: Columbidae through Paridae. J. Field Ornithol. 54(2):123-137.

Klimkiewicz, M. K., R. B. Clapp, and A. G. Futcher. 1983. Longevity records of North American Birds: Remizidae through Parulinae. J. Field Ornithol. 54(3):287-294.

Klimkiewicz, M. K. and A. G. Futcher. 1987. Longevity records of North American Birds: Coerebinae through Estrilididae. J. Field Ornithol. 58(3):318-333.

Klimkiewicz, M. K. and A. G. Futcher. 1989. Longevity records of North American Birds: Supplement I. J. Field Ornithol. 60(4):469-494.