Your bird will probably not die from old age. Birds generally live longer than mammals of comparable body size and it is suggested that the larger genome size the longer the life span of the bird (Monaghan, 2000). This may be the reason so many pet birds die after an unfortunate accident or are lost when they escape and not natural causes. If you avoid accidents and your bird remains healthy, you can expect it to be with you a long time. In 1911, before much was known about parrot nutrition or much else about their aviculture, the caiques in the London zoo lived an average of four years. The oldest bird, however, was twenty years old when it died. By 1946 the average age at death was up to six years, but Lady Poltimore's pair was still alive at that time and had already lived for more than thirty years. George Smith reported in 1990 that several of his breeders were more than 30 years old. A caique that died at age 45 in the London Zoo holds the present official record. Aviculture continues to improve, and it is likely your bird will be with you most of your life. The average age at which a well cared for bird dies is still unknown, but the 30 or 45-year mark may be lAonger than you should expect.

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