Re: Longevity of Eastern Bluebirds.

[BILL HILTON JR Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History<hilton@hiltonpond.org>]

>There is a garden club in Durham that has set up a bluebird trail on 
>their golf course.  This year they have fledged 54 young bluebirds.
>
>I received a call today, and was asked about bluebird longevity.
>
>Mean?
>Median?
>Maximum?
>
>Any help would be appreciated.
>
>Tom Krakauer
>
>Tom Krakauer
>Bahama, Durham County, NC
>tkrakauer@mindspring.com


TOM . . .

The federal Bird banding lab lists 10 years 5 months as the oldest 
record for a banded Eastern Bluebird.

As with many bird species, the large majority of bluebirds probably 
don't make it through their first winter. I'd guess die-off could be 
as high as 80% or so on fledglings and first-year birds. (Otherwise 
we'd be knee deep in live bluebirds.)

If a bluebird makes it through the first year it has a good chance of 
living for at lest a few more, so perhaps three years might be 
typical.


Cheers,

BILL
-- 

BILL HILTON JR., "The Piedmont Naturalist"
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
hilton@hiltonpond.org, (803) 684-5852, eFax: (503) 218-0845

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