I received this on Oneida birds and thought I'd pass it along. Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message: > From: SUSAN THUENER <sue...@prodigy.net> > Date: February 17, 2013, 12:19:45 PM EST > To: Bird List <hummervi...@yahoogroups.com>, bird list > <oneidabi...@yahoogroups.com>, BIRDS_AND_US List > <birds_and...@yahoogroups.com>, Beginning Birder > <beginningbird...@yahoogroups.com> > Subject: [OneidaBirds] Fw: [BIRDSnGARDENS] Bird lifespans vary by habitat and > size > Reply-To: SUSAN THUENER <sue...@prodigy.net> > > > > This was on another bird list I subscribe to. I thought it very interesting > so am > passing it along FYI. > Birdy > Susan Thuener > Mohawk, NY > sue...@prodigy.net > > ----- Forwarded Message ----- > From: Bill Z devilsadva...@gmail.com> > To: birdsngard...@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2013 9:56 AM > Subject: [BIRDSnGARDENS] Bird lifespans vary by habitat and size > > I almost missed the interesting story below from > Minneapolis, MN 55488 > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BackYard-Birds/links/NS_001319399085/ > I also have a news link folder above that makes > it easier to do some specific searches if anyone > here has any interest in contributing interesting > bird news. > > Bill Z > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BackYard-Birds/ > > http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/homegarden/188893571.html?refer=y > Bird lifespans vary by habitat and size > Article by: "Jim Williams" < woodduck38@ gmail.com> > Special to the Star Tribune > Updated: January 29, 2013 - 4:24 PM > > The most long-lived birds are sea dwellers, but your back-yard mourning dove > may be with you for decades. > > How long do birds live? With luck, a surprisingly long time for such small > creatures. Near the low end for local birds, house wrens and hummingbirds can > live nine years. Bluebirds, some warbler species, orioles and downy > woodpeckers can live 10 to 11 years. Crows can live 14, house sparrows, 15, > and mourning doves are near the top of the back-yard list at 31 years. > > The fuller answer to how long birds live: It depends. For answers about which > birds live long and under what circumstances, I turned to several research > papers I found on the Internet. The papers contain extremely complex > discussions of biology, most of which escaped me, and which we will not > discuss in detail. > > But in general: > > Birds live longer than non-flying animals of similar body size, up to three > times as long. A chickadee, on average, outlives a shrew or mouse of similar > size. (Aside: But not a bat of similar size. Bats, like birds, live longer > than non-flying mammals of their size. There is record of a 7-gram bat living > 41 years. Seven grams is half an ounce. That's what a warbler weighs. > Warblers would be extremely lucky to live 41 months.) > > Larger birds live longer than smaller birds. An albatross can live much, much > longer than a chickadee. But size isn't an absolute determining factor, as a > smaller chickadee will live longer than a larger chickadee. > > Basically, both birds and bats have evolved to reduce the accumulation of > harmful metabolic substances in their bodies. You and I this very moment are > suffering from oxidation of cells and DNA. We're rusting. Birds and bats rust > more slowly in comparison. > > Birds with larger brains — crows, jays, ravens — live longer than those with > small brains. > > Communal roosting — often done by crows — also helps extend life. As does > slower maturation. Bluebirds are out of the nest and on their own in less > than a month. Bluebirds die young. Young crows often stay with a family group > for a year or two following hatch. Young crows get more attention, care and > learning opportunities. > > Birds that live in colonies live longer than birds that nest individually. > This might be related in part to a larger number of eyes watching for > predators. > > Birds that migrate live longer than birds that don't. A few months in the > tropics pays off. Generally speaking, birds that live in the tropics live > longer than birds that don't. > > It isn't easy to be exact on how long birds live. Banding — attaching a tiny > metal band to a bird's leg with an assigned number — is the only way wild > birds' age can be accurately determined. When the bird dies, if the band is > recovered, dates of banding and recovery provide an age. > > If you were a bird and wanted to live a long time, you should go to sea. The > bird-banding database lists species with the longest documented lives. The > top 10 are Laysan albatross, black-footed albatross, great frigatebird, white > tern, sooty tern, wandering albatross, Arctic tern, red-tailed tropicbird, > black-browed albatross and Atlantic puffin, which brings up the rear at 31 > years. > > The only bird we see locally that is high on the list is the mourning dove, > No. 11, also at 31 years. > > Lifelong birder Jim Williams can be reached at woodduc...@gmail.com. Join his > conversation about birds at www.startribune.com/wingnut. > > ------------------------------------ > > Community email addresses: > > > Unsubscribe: birdsngardens-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com > List owner: birdsngardens-ow...@yahoogroups.com > > Shortcut URL to this page: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BIRDSnGARDENSYahoo! Groups Links > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > __._,_.___ > Reply via web post Reply to sender > Reply to group Start a New Topic > Messages in this topic (1) > RECENT ACTIVITY: New Members 2 > Visit Your Group > Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use • Send us > Feedback > . > > __,_._,___ -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
