Britain's oldest birds: A 30-year-old arctic tern surprises ornithologists

An artic tern has been found on the Farne Islands 30 years after it was ringed as a chick.
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The news that an Arctic tern has been rediscovered on the Farne Islands, 30 years after it was ringed as a chick, has sent ornithologists rushing to check the record books. The bird, known as 'CE60645' after the ring placed on its leg in spring 1980 by National Trust warden John Walton, is indeed the oldest Arctic tern ever found in Britain.

But it still has a long way to go before it catches up with Britain's oldest known wild birds: a Manx shearwater on Bardsey Island in Wales, and a fulmar on Orkney, both of whom reached the age of at least 50, and may still be out there somewhere.

Their long lives are in sharp contrast to the fate of our nation's favourite bird, the robin. In the 1930s, scientist David Lack discovered that very few robins live more than a year or two – thus puncturing the cherished belief that the same robin returns to our garden year after year. Most garden birds lead the same brief lives – rarely surviving longer than three or four years at most.

Apart from their great age, the Arctic tern, Manx shearwater and fulmar have another thing in common: they are all seabirds, which collectively hold most of the avian longevity records. This may seem surprising, as we often think of the high seas as a dangerous place. But while a marine existence might not suit us, seabirds have evolved a lifestyle perfectly suited to wandering the world's oceans.

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/sep/21/britains-oldest-birds

A bit different from the 'lil European ones


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Robin

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Robin

i know they're common and all -- but i just think they're terrific.

the longevity record for American robins in 13.

...because one good tern deserves another.

They attract mates by using tern signals.

Your tern