# Bird Ages - Holy Smokes



## Dan Bueide (Jul 1, 2002)

For all you other "Cliffies" out there, thought I'd share some info I found pretty interesting that I recieved from a waterfowl biologist yesterday.

Following is a list of longevity records for waterfowl based on band recoveries. The number following each species represents the number of years and months; for example, the record for a mallard is 26 years and 4 months. These are all minimal longevities because bands wear out, fall off, and in some instances there aren't large enough sample sizes to give better longevity records.

This info can be found at the Bird Banding Lab website which is accessible through a link on www.centralflyway.org, where there's all sorts of other neat info and where I was asked to encourage you to visit.

Common Merganser 13-05 
Red-breasted Merganser 5-05 
Hooded Merganser 11-03 
Mallard 26-04 
Hawaiian Duck 3-08 
Laysan Duck 11-10 
American Black Duck 26-05 
Mexican Duck 5-06 
Mottled Duck 13-05 
Gadwall 19-06 
Eurasian Wigeon 8-07 
American Wigeon 20-11 
American Green-winged Teal 20-03 
Blue-winged Teal 22-04 
Cinnamon Teal 12-11 
Northern Shoveler 18-07 
Northern Pintail 22-03 
Wood Duck 22-06 
Redhead 22-07 
Canvasback 29-06 
Greater Scaup 18-04 
Lesser Scaup 18-04 
Ring-necked Duck 20-05 
Common Goldeneye 15-05 
Barrow's Goldeneye 15-04 
Bufflehead 18-08 
Oldsquaw 15-07 
Harlequin Duck 10-05 
Steller's Eider 23-00 
Common Eider 22-05 
King Eider 18-11 
White-winged Scoter 15-07 
Surf Scoter 7-11 
Ruddy Duck 13-07 
Lesser Snow Goose (white) 26-07 
Lesser Snow Goose (blue) 25-06 
Ross' Goose 22-06 
Greater White-fronted Goose 25-06 
Canada Goose (all races) 28-05 
Atlantic Brant 21-07 
Black Brant 28-06 
Hawaiian Goose 17-09 
Emperor Goose 10-04 
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 8-02 
Fulvous Whistling-Duck 6-06 
Mute Swan 26-09 
Whistling Swan 25-04 
Trumpeter Swan 23-10

I knew geese had a long potential lifespan, but didn't realize ducks did too. No wonder they can be such buggers sometimes - some of them have seen an aweful lot over the years.


----------



## Kansas Kid (Nov 20, 2003)

Thank you for posting that. Some of those birds have been getting shot at longer than a lot of us have been hunting them.


----------



## gaddyshooter (Oct 12, 2003)

Wow, had no idea that ducks or geese got that old.  Very interesting. Wonder how many decoy spreads a 29 year old canvasback has managed to escape.


----------



## stevepike (Sep 14, 2002)

Or how many hunters a 22 year old Bluewing Teal has avoided? 

Something to think of as you munch on those tasties.


----------

