How Long Do Garden Birds Live For? - Bird Spot

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Many people who enjoy the birds that visit their garden are delighted when the same ones seem to return year after year. However, although it’s a nice idea, it’s unlikely that they are the same birds.

Most garden birds only live for between 2 and 5 years, with many not even surviving their first year. Hatchlings and nestlings are particularly vulnerable to predators, lack of food, and poor weather.

Generally, larger birds tend to have a greater life expectancy so to compensate small birds often lay large clutches of eggs. For example, blue tits lay between 8 and 10 eggs each year but only 38% make it through the first year.

Once a bird reaches breeding age it has a better chance of survival, although the odds still aren’t great. Only 53% of adult blue tits survive each year, so although the maximum age of a blue tit found in the wild is nearly 10 years, the typical lifespan is just 3 years.

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Bird species	Average lifespan	Breeding age	Maximum recorded age	Adult survival	Juvenile survival
Blackbird	3 years	1 year	9 years	65%	56%
Blue tit	3 years	1 year	9 years	53%	38%
Bullfinch	2 years	1 year	9 years	42%	33%
Chaffinch	3 years	1 year	13 years	59%	53%
Collared dove	3 years	1 year	15 years	64%	Unknown
Dunnock	2 years	1 year	10 years	47%	35%
Goldfinch	2 years	1 year	10 years	37%	34%
Great spotted woodpecker	Unknown	Unknown	11 years	85%	Unkown
Great tit	3 years	1 year	10 years 5 months	54%	38%
Greenfinch	2 years	1 year	11 years 4 months	44%	42%
House sparrow	3 years	1 year	12 years 8 months	57%	49%
Jackdaw	4 years	2 years	19 years 5 months	69%	40%
Jay	4 years	2 years	16 years 9 months	59%	60%
Long-tailed tit	2 years	1 year	8 years 11 months	44%	25%
Magpie	5 years	2 years	21 years 8 months	89%	40%
Nuthatch	2 years	1 year	11 years	51%	Unknown
Robin	2 years	1 year	8 years 4 months	42%	41%
Song thrush	3 years	1 year	11 years 0 months	56%	46%
Starling	5 years	2 years	17 years 7 months	69%	52%
Wood pigeon	1 years	1 year	17 years 8 months	61%	52%
Wren	2 years	1 year	7 years 3 months	32%	26%

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7 Responses

For about month the tit population are coming backwards and forwards like Piccadilly station we have to fill up our bird table at least 3 times a day with sunflower seeds, mealworms and nuts. We have our bird table on our French door and have noticed a pecking order blue tits, then great tits finally the coal tits sometimes a robin muscles in and gets angry if someone else wants a go. It is very relaxing watching the birds and it can be comical the way they act.
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I assume the reason for a life span of only 2- 3, wth a few at 5 years is the environment. ie food supply, water, other 4 legged preditors.
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Seems like a very informative website! Looking forward to more interesting facts on birds. Thank you!
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There is no better sight than a pair of tits on your nut sack in the morning, so keep feeding them beautiful creatures.
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1. What can I say!
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Found this very interesting thankyou
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Great statistical information thank you, though distressing to see that such beautiful little birds have such a short lifespan. The table above encores me to keep feeding my garden birds, especially those at our static caravan on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park near Conway. I am thrilled to have nuthatches; blue; coal; great and long-tailed tits; blackcap; Robin; dunnock and great spotted woodpecker visiting regularly this morning.
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