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Lifespans of some common birds

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Tracy

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Jun 1, 2002, 6:09:34 PM6/1/02
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I'd like to find out the average and maximum lifespans for the
following birds please.
Wren, House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Collared Dove, Greenfinch &
SparrowHawk.
It would be appreciated if you could either let me know of a good site
or if you know the answers.

Thankyou

Esmond

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Jun 2, 2002, 3:58:48 PM6/2/02
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"Tracy" <hippy...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:f6a5dd09.02060...@posting.google.com...

One for the FAQ, Stephen?

Earlier answers from Chris Mead:

> CAN ANYONE TELL ME HOW LONG A BLACKBIRD LIVES IN TH UK

Most dies very young. Indeed the average age of a newlky hatched
Blackbuird at death may be about two months. Some do live several
years and about one in a thousand gets to about eight years.

On Great Tits:

One adult will survive to breed next year and one of the chicks - on
average.

The concept of average age makes little sense with birds as they die
off rapidly from the egg. We tend to die off much later so average
age in Humans is a worthwhile concept. With Stalings I would expect
7-% of fledglings to die before the next breeding season. Half (or
slightly less) of the remainder to die ub the bext year and so on.
This means a three year old will not be too rare. a five year old a
bit unusual and a ten year old VERY exceptional. Oldest ringed bird
is 20 (I am not so sure I believe it but it is not far out).


regards

Esmond


Richard Watkinson

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Jun 2, 2002, 3:15:49 PM6/2/02
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In message <f6a5dd09.02060...@posting.google.com>
hippy...@hotmail.com (Tracy) wrote:

This is some information that was posted to this NG in 1998 I think.


>The included information was obtained from Amateur Radio packet network
>approx.. 3 years ago, hope you find it of use.
> ======================================
>
> The following figures show the Maximum recorded life-span for an
> individual of each species (to the nearest year); the average life
> expectancy for wild birds is of course very short indeed. These are
> records of the exceptional individual which has managed to survive
> against all the odds. These figures are available as a result of
> international bird ringing schemes which have been in operation for
> many years now with the object of learning more about bird migrations.
>
> yrs yrs
>yrs
> Blackbird...........10 Hoopoe..........2 Goldfinch...........8
> Blackcap.............5 Jackdaw........14 Pheasant............9
> Bullfinch............8 Jay............18 Canada Goose.......11
> Black Headed Gull...30 Redstart........7 Black Redstart......2
> Chaffinch...........10 Kestrel........16 Wood Pigeon........14
> Tree-Creeper.........7 Kingfisher......4 Greenfinch.........10
> Crossbill............2 Magpie.........15 Rock Pipit..........9
> Collared Dove........3 Mallard........20 Goldcrest...........3
> Rock Dove............6 House Martin....6 Tawny Owl..........16
> Stock Dove...........8 Sand Martin.....7 Herring Gull.......32
> Dunnock..............8 Moorhen........11 Hawfinch............2
> Fieldfare............5 Nuthatch........9 Redwing............19
> Pied Flycatcher......9 Barn Owl.......15 Robin..............11
> Spotted Flycatcher...8 Little Owl.....16 Rook...............20
> Starling............20 Mute Swan......19 Swift..............21
> House Sparrow.......11 Tree Sparrow...10 Swallow............16
> Long Tailed Tit......4 Great Tit......10 Marsh Tit..........10
> Willow Tit...........8 Blue Tit.......10 Coal Tit............5
> Crested Tit..........5 Song Thrush....14 Mistle Thrush......10
> Turnstone...........20 Pied Wagtail....6 Grey Wagtail........3
> Grt Sptd Woodpecker..9 L.S.Woodpecker..4 Green Woodpecker....5
> Wren.................5 Wryneck.........4 Yellowhammer........7
>
>Graham Davies

Richard

__ __ __ _ __ __ __ _____________________________
|__|| |__|| |/ |_ |_||_ |_ |__| / ...Ceilidh/Barndance music
|__||__ | ||__ |\ _|| ||__|__| / for all occasions.
___________________________/ black...@argonet.co.uk
A kitten is for life...

Stephen Poley

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Jun 3, 2002, 3:42:02 PM6/3/02
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On Sun, 2 Jun 2002 20:58:48 +0100, "Esmond"
<esm...@nospam.btinternet.com> wrote:

>"Tracy" <hippy...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>news:f6a5dd09.02060...@posting.google.com...
>> I'd like to find out the average and maximum lifespans for the
>> following birds please.
>> Wren, House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Collared Dove, Greenfinch &
>> SparrowHawk.
>> It would be appreciated if you could either let me know of a good site
>> or if you know the answers.
>

>One for the FAQ, Stephen?

Yes, it does seem to come up fairly often, doesn't it? I've added it to
the list of things to tackle sometime.

--
Stephen Poley
uk.rec.birdwatching FAQ: http://www.xs4all.nl/~sbpoley/ukrb.htm

Peter Gallagher

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Jun 3, 2002, 5:18:36 PM6/3/02
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Hi All,
Yes - I remember this interesting thread popping up a few years ago.
Is it just me or does a maximum of 2 years seem estremely shortlived for a
Hoopoe?
I wonder how many of them were ringed in the study?
Would they be likely to be frequently recaptured as individuals?
In other words, I find myself feeling that some some birds are uncommon in
the first place and/or difficult to capture for ringing. Can a
reasonable conclusion be drawn from the "fact" (my supposition) that
only being able to ring any individual onno more than 2 or 3 successive
occasions is indicative of longevity?
Surely ringing records are unreliable ... (?).
Just musing.
And I think I had no more reason to select a Hoopoe from the
list given than pure emotional "hunch" coupled with only 2 years given ...
Cheers!
Peter


Richard Watkinson <rwa...@argonet.co.uk> writes:

>Richard

--

Peter Gallagher, Amsterdam, Netherlands pega(at)xs4all(dot)nl
" I used to finish every sentence I started, but now I just ...."
--my sister, Christine

Tracy

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Jun 4, 2002, 6:19:18 PM6/4/02
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Thank you very much for your help.

MG

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Jun 23, 2002, 1:54:37 PM6/23/02
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I remember hearing on a wildlife TV prog once that the smaller the
bird, the shorter the lifespan and generally about 18 months for a
Blue Tit.

This is because the extremely fast heart rate - which gives rise to
their fidgity, eratic movements and flight. During the 18 months,
their hearts beat the same number as a 70 year old human's.

So in bird years, they are comprable to us.

MG

On 3 Jun 2002 21:18:36 GMT, pe...@xs4.xs4all.nl (Peter Gallagher)
wrote:

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