These are some longevity records from our banding studies. Only birds with at least three years between captures are included in the table, and only the two or three oldest birds of each species are noted. An (*) indicates that the bird was recaptured or recovered dead away from campus.
The minimum age for each bird is calculated by using the age at banding and the time between captures. Birds are assumed to have been hatched in June for calculation purposes. More on how ages are calculated here.
Key to Age at Banding: L = Local, or a bird just out of the nest; SY = Second year, or a bird that was born the previous nesting season; AHY = After Hatching Year, or a bird that was born no later than the previous nesting season (perhaps older).
| Original date | Age at banding | Recovery date | Minimum age | |
| *Mourning Dove | 5 May 1974 | Unknown | 30 Sep 1977 | 3 y, 4 m |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | 23 Oct 1984 | Unknown | 20 May 1987 | 2 y, 7 m |
| Downy Woodpecker | 20 Aug 1998 | L | 7 May 2002 | 3 y, 11 m |
| Hairy Woodpecker | 2 Jun 1983 | AHY | 22 May 1995 | 12 y, 11 m |
| Red-eyed Vireo | 29 Aug 2003 | AHY | 25 Aug 2009 | 7 y, 2 m |
| *Blue Jay | 2 Apr 1973 | AHY | 1 May 1979 | 6 y, 11 m |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 12 Aug 1992 | Unknown | 25 Oct 1998 | 6 y, 4 m |
| Wood Thrush1 | 30 May 1995 | AHY | 6 May 2003 | 8 y, 11 m |
| American Robin | 28 Apr 1998 | SY | 26 May 2004 | 6 y, 11 m |
| American Robin | 28 Oct 2005 | HY | 5 Nov 2011 | 6 y, 5 m |
| Gray Catbird | 23 Aug 1983 | AHY | 10 May 1991 | 8 y, 11 m |
| Gray Catbird | 15 Jun 1999 | AHY | 16 May 2005 | 6 y, 11 m |
| Gray Catbird | 17 May 2005 | SY | 17 Sep 2009 | 5 y, 3 m |
| *American Tree Sparrow | 1 Dec 1972 | Unknown | 22 Nov 1977 | 5 y, 5 m |
| Song Sparrow | 7 Oct 1992 | AHY | 17 Apr 1996 | 5 y, 10 m |
| White-throated Sparrow | 23 Oct 1998 | AHY | 4 Nov 2001 | 3 y, 5 m |
| *Dark-eyed Junco | 7 Apr 1995 | AHY | 29 Mar 1998 | 3 y, 9 m |
| Northern Cardinal | 13 May 1994 | AHY | 9 Feb 2002 | 8 y, 8 m |
| Northern Cardinal | 5 Oct 1999 | AHY | 22 Apr 2008 | 8 y, 6 m |
| Northern Cardinal | 13 Apr 2003 | AHY | 16 Sep 2009 | 9 y, 10 m |
| Northern Cardinal2 | 19 Apr 2001 | SY | 3 Oct 2012 | 12 y, 4 m |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | 10 May 1993 | AHY | 20 May 1997 | 4 y, 11 m |
| Indigo Bunting3 | 23 Aug 2003 | SY | 29 Sep 2010 | 8 y, 3 m |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 22 Apr 1998 | SY | 14 Apr 2003 | 5 y, 10 m |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 20 Jun 1979 | AHY | 2 Jun 1983 | 5 y |
| Baltimore Oriole | 6 Jul 1998 | SY | 15 Aug 2000 | 3 y, 2 m |
| *American Goldfinch4 | 30 Oct 1997 | AHY | 27 May 2004 | 7 y, 11 m |
A full list of North American longevity records can be found at the Bird Banding Lab’s longevity web site.
Please note: All data is provisional and not to be cited without permission.
Latest update September 2012.
- The age of this bird makes it one of the three oldest recorded for North America. ↩
- The age of this bird makes it one of the three oldest recorded for North America. ↩
- The age of this bird makes it the longevity record for North America. ↩
- The age of this bird makes it one of the 6th oldest records for North America. ↩