How long do wild birds live? The oldest known wild birds

How long do wild birds live? Songbirds live short lives: a 2026 study of over 560,000 banding records found adult North American songbirds lived 1.4 to 1.7 years on average. Banding records show far older birds: a Bald Eagle and a Sandhill Crane of at least 38 years, and Wisdom, a Laysan Albatross, about 75 in April 2026.

Those big numbers are records: the oldest single bird of each kind that anyone has banded and found again. Below are the records for 96 common North American birds, what they mean, and the story of the oldest wild bird known.

Key facts

• In a study of more than 560,000 banding records from the US and Canada, adult perching birds (songbirds and flycatchers) lived about 1.66 years on average for males and 1.39 years for females (Audubon magazine, September 2026).
• Of 96 common North American birds in the USGS longevity table, 31 have a record of 20 years or more, and 8 have a record of 30 years or more.
• The oldest of the 96 were each at least 38 years old: a Bald Eagle banded in New York in 1977 and found there in 2015, and a Sandhill Crane banded in Florida in 1982 and found in Wisconsin in 2019.
• In April 2026, the US Fish and Wildlife Service called Wisdom, a Laysan Albatross, the world's "oldest known wild bird, at an approximate age of 75."
• A banding record is the minimum age of one bird when it was found again, not a typical lifespan (USGS Bird Banding Laboratory).

Facts checked: October 3, 2026.

A record is not a typical lifespan

Bird banding means fitting a wild bird with a small numbered band on its leg, then letting it go. If the same bird is caught again or found later, the number tells researchers when it was banded.

The USGS Bird Banding Laboratory, which publishes the longevity table, turns that into a minimum age: the bird's age when it was banded, plus the time until it was found. For most birds it assumes they hatched in June. So a record means "this one bird lived at least this long."

The average is a different number, and a much smaller one. In a study published in July 2026 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, led by the UCLA ecologist Joanna Wu, adult males of these perching birds lived about 1.66 years on average, and adult females about 1.39 years. That average counts only birds that reached adulthood.

So when you read that the oldest known wild American Robin lived almost 14 years, picture one remarkable robin, not a normal one.

The oldest known wild bird: Wisdom

Wisdom is a Laysan Albatross who nests on Midway Atoll, in the North Pacific. She was banded there in 1956, after she laid an egg, so she was already an adult. That's why her age is an estimate.

In April 2026, the US Fish and Wildlife Service called her the world's "oldest known wild bird, at an approximate age of 75." The same article estimates that she has laid 50 to 60 eggs and raised 30 chicks that fledged.

She came back to Midway for the 2025–26 nesting season. The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels reported her return in November 2025, and her mate's arrival on November 25. The newest word on her that we found is the Fish and Wildlife Service's article of April 20, 2026.

The oldest known age of 96 common birds

These records come from the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory's longevity table (2025 release), read on October 3, 2026. They're listed oldest first. A linked name opens that bird's page of classic bird paintings.

Four common birds are missing. We found no row for the Wild Turkey or the Rock Pigeon in the USGS table. And the table still lists Herring Gull and Yellow Warbler as one species each, from before scientists split them, so we left out today's American Herring Gull and Northern Yellow Warbler rather than guess.

What the records show

• The oldest records belong to eagles, cranes, gulls, loons and geese. Eight birds have records of 30 years or more: the Bald Eagle, Sandhill Crane, Western Gull, Common Loon, Canada Goose, Ring-billed Gull, Red-tailed Hawk and Mourning Dove.
• Backyard birds can surprise you too. The oldest known wild Northern Cardinal lived at least 15 years and 9 months, and a Blue Jay banded in 1989 lived at least 26 years and 11 months. Set those against averages of under two years for adult songbirds.
• Even hummingbirds. A Ruby-throated Hummingbird banded in Illinois in 2014 was found there again in 2024, at least 11 years and 1 month old.
• A short record doesn't mean a short life. The Greater Yellowlegs record is 2 years and 7 months, from a bird banded in 1935. A record is only as old as the oldest bird someone happened to band and find again, and the USGS points out that it can't be longer than the time researchers have studied that species.

Questions people ask

What is the oldest bird ever recorded?

The oldest known wild bird is Wisdom, a Laysan Albatross on Midway Atoll. The US Fish and Wildlife Service put her age at about 75 in April 2026. She was banded in 1956, already an adult.

What is the oldest bird alive today?

As far as anyone knows, Wisdom. The newest report we found is from April 2026, after she returned to Midway for the 2025–26 nesting season.

What is the longest-living common bird in North America?

Among the 96 common birds in our table, the Bald Eagle and the Sandhill Crane, each at least 38 years old when found. Both are records, not typical lives.

How long do backyard birds live?

On average, a year or two once they're adults: about 1.66 years for male songbirds and 1.39 years for females, in the 2026 study. A few live much longer. The oldest known wild Northern Cardinal reached at least 15 years and 9 months, and an American Robin almost 14.

How long does a Bald Eagle live?

The oldest known wild Bald Eagle was at least 38 years old: banded in New York in 1977, and found there in 2015. That's a record, and the USGS table gives no average. See classic paintings of the Bald Eagle.

Records set by people, from the biggest Big Years to the longest life lists, are in birding records. If you count the birds at your feeder in winter, see Project FeederWatch.

Every bird on your own life list has its own story: the day and place you first saw it. A Birdfolio prints each species beside a classic painting, with those details. See your own list as a book, free.