Lifespan of African Grey: What is it REALLY?

[Giannine]

Hi everyone,

I have found in doing several months of research that nobody really has a concrete answer for how long African Greys live. Several sites state that they live around 50 years in captivity but only around 25 in the wild. How is this logical?

 

I have yet to find a statement from anyone who knows firsthand, a Grey that has lived in captivity to 80-years-old, or even anywhere near that age. That seems to be the popular age people throw out to warn others that their Grey may very well outlive them.

 

The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) stated the longest-living Grey known in captivity lived 49.7 years (http://eol.org/pages/1177912/details) (Maximum longevity: 49.7 years (captivity) Observations: There are claims of animals living 73 and 93 years (Flower 1938). The most reliable longevity record, however, is a specimen that was still alive after 49.7 years (Brouwer et al. 2000).)

 

How old is the oldest Grey you know personally? And does anyone know how long they live in the wild? If they do have a shorter lifespan in the wild, why?

[SRSeedBurners]

From a study out of the University of Michigan

 

Range of lifespan in captivity: 40-60 years

Typical lifespan in captivitiy: 40-50 years

Average lifespan in captivity: 45 years

Average lifespan in the wild: 22.7

 

 

In general, it's harder to survive in the wild for most animals, although there are lots of exceptions but not many for prey animals.

[Giannine]

I saw that one, too, from UoM

[birdhouse]

I read an article in "Bird Talk" magazine about an Amazon in Alaska who had absolute proof to be at least in his mid-eighties when the article was written. But the family was very sure he was closer to 100. He would have been hatched in the late 1800's & there just wasn't anything in writing until he was willed to someone, I think.

 

There was a fid in BaileysPapa's family who lived into their 50's for sure. murfchck's Cocaba is in his 60's...? A couple of members have posted into the 60's I think. But of course I can't find anything because the forum search engine sucks. Breaks my heart we've lost such a humongous bunch of knowledge archived on this site.

 

The only way we're going to know how long domestic parrots live is if there is a cohesive banding/tagging/chipping system put into place or if the DNA science gets to that point. 99% of the time, these poor critters get passed around & lose their history too often to know. And of course they don't show their age, which makes guessing impossible as well.

[BaileysPapa]

Yes, my Jessye lived with my family for about 52 years. I inherited him from my Grandfather. He was wild caught, and adult, when we got him, so we do not know how old he really was.

[Dave007]

I read an article in "Bird Talk" magazine about an Amazon in Alaska who had absolute proof to be at least in his mid-eighties when the article was written. But the family was very sure he was closer to 100. He would have been hatched in the late 1800's & there just wasn't anything in writing until he was willed to someone, I think.

 

There was a fid in BaileysPapa's family who lived into their 50's for sure. murfchck's Cocaba is in his 60's...? A couple of members have posted into the 60's I think. But of course I can't find anything because the forum search engine sucks. Breaks my heart we've lost such a humongous bunch of knowledge archived on this site.

 

The only way we're going to know how long domestic parrots live is if there is a cohesive banding/tagging/chipping system put into place or if the DNA science gets to that point. 99% of the time, these poor critters get passed around & lose their history too often to know. And of course they don't show their age, which makes guessing impossible as well.

 

A little tip here=====Bird Talk has been giving out BS information for years. I've come across countless very bad info articles on all types of birds especially about medium to large sized parrots. The magazine is basically 80% advertising. They're heavily in cahoots with Birdtricks.com which is probably the most misleading site around. Many people have sued that group for false advertising and cheating people online and giving terrible training info to people and Bird Talk still backs him. If you go back on this site, you'll see hundred of posts concerning Bird Talk and Birdtricks. Most all have been very sad posts BUT like I said, it was a time when 100s of people posted here.

[birdhouse]

Agreed. They are not so much anymore. But back when, they were practically the only source of semi-worthwhile information to be found. There was no internet. The few books were mostly those 40 page generic things you get in the pet stores. And they were filled w/the most current mis-information & other cringe-worthiness.

 

In it's day, Bird Talk was innovative for the novice bird keeper. I truly think they intended to be a force for good. But as so often happens, they eventually sold out. That Zon's story ran back in the '80's. Doesn't make it gospel or anything. They were all just off the top of my head references.

 

Here's some other actually links. Interestingly, most of the stories are skewed towards Amazons. I don't know if or how they translate for Greys or other parrots.

 

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/oldest-parrot-living

 

 

https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/amazon-parrot-still-going-strong-100/

[Dave007]

TAXIDERMY 1947

 

 

[Greywings]

At the sanctuary we have a Military Macaw that is 52 yrs old, a very elderly Conure with both gout and arthritis age unknown and several Amazons in the 50 yr range still active. As far as Greys go I just don't know the ages of most birds in our home or at the Sanctuary. In the wild they contend with predation, human capture, drought and floods as well as habitat destruction and disease.

[Giannine]

TAXIDERMY 1947

 

 

 

Do you know the year of this bird's death?

[Giannine]

I read an article in "Bird Talk" magazine about an Amazon in Alaska who had absolute proof to be at least in his mid-eighties when the article was written. But the family was very sure he was closer to 100. He would have been hatched in the late 1800's & there just wasn't anything in writing until he was willed to someone, I think.

 

There was a fid in BaileysPapa's family who lived into their 50's for sure. murfchck's Cocaba is in his 60's...? A couple of members have posted into the 60's I think. But of course I can't find anything because the forum search engine sucks. Breaks my heart we've lost such a humongous bunch of knowledge archived on this site.

 

The only way we're going to know how long domestic parrots live is if there is a cohesive banding/tagging/chipping system put into place or if the DNA science gets to that point. 99% of the time, these poor critters get passed around & lose their history too often to know. And of course they don't show their age, which makes guessing impossible as well.

 

What happened to the information on this site? Or do you mean lost members who no longer post?

[Talon]

You have to do an advance search to get the information you are looking for

[Dave007]

Do you know the year of this bird's death?

 

The grey died in 1947

[Dave007]

Do you know the year of this bird's death?

The grey died in 1947

[birdhouse]

What happened to the information on this site? Or do you mean lost members who no longer post?

 

 

I can never find things since the site overhaul a couple of years ago. Even when I do advanced search, I often can't find things I know were posted "back when". I used to cheat & google search leading w/"www.greforums.net" to direct google to return pages from here. But after the last round of hacks, that stopped working, too.

 

It's a shame because over time, there have been some very knowledgeable & articulate posters. A lot of suggestions backed up w/references & research that was an awesome head start to help decide on controversial issues or just general knowledge. For me, I'd usually start out reading the referenced article, then keep going on the sites that I'd never found on my own. I miss that, among other things.*

 

 

 

 

 

* ...but not the drama!

[birdhouse]

Do you know the year of this bird's death?

 

 

I'm just curious; why?

 

[Dave007]

I'm just curious; why?

 

 

 

How? I have no idea.

The actual age when he died? I have no idea.

Why did they take the bird to a taxaderist? I assume that the owner had a special bond with the bird and wanted his image around.

Lots of people do this with their pets. It's a love thing. I can understand this feeling.

WHAT I DON'T FIND APPEALING IS WHEN PEOPLE GO OUT AND LOOK FOR WILD ANIMALS JUST BECAUSE THEY WANT THEIR HEADS HANGING FROM A WALL. THESE FUCKING PEOPLE GET OFF WHEN THEY LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF HORNS STICK OUT OF THE DEER OR OTHE ANIMAL. OR THEY GET EXCITED AT THE HEIGHT OF A BEAR.

[birdhouse]

Agree w/most everything you said about hanging dead bodies on the wall.

But my question was why did Giannine want to know when Polly died...??? That's why I quoted her.

Edited August 16, 2016 by birdhouse

[Dave007]

Agree w/most everything you said about hanging dead bodies on the wall.

But my question was why did Giannine want to know when Polly died...??? That's why I quoted her.

 

Well, sorry that i'm replying to the wrong person. Accidents do happen but I think that anyone who wants my opinion will easily find it in this thread.

[Giannine]

Agree w/most everything you said about hanging dead bodies on the wall.

But my question was why did Giannine want to know when Polly died...??? That's why I quoted her.

 

I got mixed up with the date on the plaque assuming it was the year of birth so I was asking the year of death so I could see how old she was. My original question in this thread is the one that I seem to have a difficult time pinning down an accurate answer to. Some seem to only live until 30 years of age while people on the internet like to say they can live to 80, which has been unsubstantiated, as far as I can tell. It's just a wide age range.

[Giannine]

I can never find things since the site overhaul a couple of years ago. Even when I do advanced search, I often can't find things I know were posted "back when". I used to cheat & google search leading w/"www.greforums.net" to direct google to return pages from here. But after the last round of hacks, that stopped working, too.

 

It's a shame because over time, there have been some very knowledgeable & articulate posters. A lot of suggestions backed up w/references & research that was an awesome head start to help decide on controversial issues or just general knowledge. For me, I'd usually start out reading the referenced article, then keep going on the sites that I'd never found on my own. I miss that, among other things.*

 

 

 

 

 

* ...but not the drama!

 

That's a shame. Credible references are a must on the internet. Too much misinformation flying around. So there used to be a lot of drama on here, huh? I wish people were more active here. Some days I visit and nothing new has been posted in days

[SRSeedBurners]

That's a shame. Credible references are a must on the internet. Too much misinformation flying around. So there used to be a lot of drama on here, huh? I wish people were more active here. Some days I visit and nothing new has been posted in days

 

Facebook has killed off forums all over the place, especially niche forums like this one. I'm on a few forums that have thrived in the face...of facebook: reddit, ar15 etc. But those are huge and very well established. Avian Avenue seems to have done very well too.

 

The membership here seems to ebb and flow. We'll get a rash of new members all of a sudden and one or two may stick around for a while, maybe none. Mostly people getting new birds...then we never hear from them again. There were a couple in my area that popped on the scene and I tried to keep them active..but they are gone.

 

The drama here wasn't too bad, although I haven't been here long enough to know any further back. If you want to have some fun, search 'Jayd's posts. I think that guy was drunk half the time he was posting.

[Giannine]

Facebook has killed off forums all over the place, especially niche forums like this one. I'm on a few forums that have thrived in the face...of facebook: reddit, ar15 etc. But those are huge and very well established. Avian Avenue seems to have done very well too.

 

The membership here seems to ebb and flow. We'll get a rash of new members all of a sudden and one or two may stick around for a while, maybe none. Mostly people getting new birds...then we never hear from them again. There were a couple in my area that popped on the scene and I tried to keep them active..but they are gone.

 

The drama here wasn't too bad, although I haven't been here long enough to know any further back. If you want to have some fun, search 'Jayd's posts. I think that guy was drunk half the time he was posting.

 

LOL at your last sentence...I literally did. It seems I remember reading some of his posts. One caught my eye so I looked at his profile and read several. Was he banned from here? If I am thinking of the correct person, he seemed emotional (dramatic) in some of his posts. He had been around for awhile as he had thousands of posts so I remember wondering what happened.

I have noticed in my short time here the number of new members (such as myself) who appear then disappear. Especially the ones who make an account for the sole purpose of asking one question then disappearing forever.

I joined Avian Avenue not too long ago simply because it is very active there and people seem friendly enough but the forum names throw me off. They drive me a bit crazy, actually. I don't like having to decipher what a forum is for or having to click to go into it to see what posts are there. I like simple, straightforward categories. 'Airplane Byway' does not help me (I don't know if that is an actual name there but it sounds like one). It is also a bit overwhelming because of the number of active people. I kind of felt lost in the shuffle without actually even trying to join the "shuffle."

[SRSeedBurners]

Banned - yes. Dramatic - somewhat. Uncouth would be my best description. He seemed to not care about stomping all over the toes in the room. Somewhat divisive too. He had some great knowledge though and was always willing to help out with great advise. He was just a bad biter and had to be put back in his cage haahaa!!

 

 

I agree about AA. It's too big for me so I never really stuck around. I go there from time to time to search for stuff but rarely post. Too big and I get lost in the shuffle, not that I like being the center of attention. My limited brain cells only have the capacity to keep up with only so much. This place is great although it does get pretty inactive at times. I like the story-line threads here and I get to post some videos of my brats.

[Giannine]

Banned - yes. Dramatic - somewhat. Uncouth would be my best description. He seemed to not care about stomping all over the toes in the room. Somewhat divisive too. He had some great knowledge though and was always willing to help out with great advise. He was just a bad biter and had to be put back in his cage haahaa!!

 

 

I agree about AA. It's too big for me so I never really stuck around. I go there from time to time to search for stuff but rarely post. Too big and I get lost in the shuffle, not that I like being the center of attention. My limited brain cells only have the capacity to keep up with only so much. This place is great although it does get pretty inactive at times. I like the story-line threads here and I get to post some videos of my brats.

 

'Uncouth' is an absolutely perfect word to describe what I saw and yes, he is who I was thinking of. I just reread many posts. I don't like being center of attention either, but it is nice to get to know people somewhat. A more intimate forum is nicer than a huge, overwhelming one. How old is this forum?