How long do parakeets live


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How long do parakeets live

How long do parakeets live: With proper care, some breeds of parakeets can live up to 30-35 years, and these are the largest breeds like the conure and Alexandrine parakeets.

Smaller breeds can live a long time compared to other birds and mammals and can live up to 30-35 years.

Still, this doesn’t mean that wild parakeets and parrots have a shorter lifespan. On the contrary, some wild parakeets and parrots live longer in the wild than their congeners in captivity, and this is mainly due to the absence of one or more of the factors listed above, or simply because their owner has not respected the fundamentals of care and health to raise their parakeet and parrot.

The lifespan of 105 breeds of Parakeet and parrots

Unlike many other mammals and birds, Parakeet or parrots live much longer. And this is one of the main characteristics of pet parakeets or parrots: their long lifespan, whether in captivity or in the wild. However, parakeets and parrots live longer in captivity thanks to veterinary care, the absence of predators, and the abundance of food.

 

What is the average lifespan of parakeets and parrots?

Some parakeet or parrots can outlive their owner, while others have a shorter life expectancy. And it depends on many factors mentioned earlier. However, the most important factor is the breed of the parakeet and parrot. Large breeds of parakeets and parrots tend to live longer than small breeds. Another important factor is the parakeet and parrot’s mental health, and yes, parakeets and parrots can have and suffer from mental ailment problems. In fact, most parrots are prone to developing these types of problems.

Apart from that, the parakeet and parrot family includes more than 250 species, and each species has its own life expectancy. You will find in this list, the most popular breeds.

Parakeet lifespan

Parakeet Lifespan

Parakeet lifespan

All you need to know about parakeet lifespan

Parakeets

As pets, there are two different types of budgies. American and English parakeets look alike and also have the same life expectancy, which can reach 8 years in the wild, and 15-20 years in captivity.

Conures

Conures are a really charming and friendly family of parakeets. However, there are about 15 subtypes that are known as pets. They are:

Race Average service life observed
Green-cheeked Parakeet up to 25 years
Jenday Parakeet 25-30 years
Sun Parakeet 15-30 years
White-eyed Parakeet 25-30 years
Conure Queen of Bavaria up to 30 years
Red-masked parakeet up to 50 years
Nanday Parakeet up to 30 years
Patagonian Parakeet up to 30 years
Half-moon Parakeet 24-30 years
Mitred Parakeet 20-30 years
Southern Parakeet 30 years and older
Red-headed Parakeet 35-40 years
Blue-crowned Parakeet 20-30 years
Golden-headed Parakeet 20-30 years
White-fronted Parakeet 20-30 years

 

Quakers

The Quaker is a small family of parrots with 4 recognized subtypes. There are no noticeable differences between them, and the only thing could be the place of origin of each subtype. This breed and with proper care can live up to 30 years. And if you have a Quaker parrot, I recommend reading an article I wrote about how to increase the lifespan of your Quaker or any other parakeet.

The Lovebird

The lovebird is a very large family of parrots with more than 30 subtypes, while the pet lovebird can be limited to 9 breeds with different lifespans, and they are.. :

Race Expected lifespan
Lovebird with pink face or peach face 12-15 years
A black mask or yellow collar 15 years and older
Fischer’s lovebird 12-15 years
Lovebird from Nyasa or Lilian 10-20 years
Black-cheeked Lovebird up to 19 years
Lovebird with black or Abyssinian wings 20-30 years
Lovebird from Madagascar or grey-headed 10-20 years
Lovebird red-faced 19-24 years
Lovebird with black collar or Lovebird from Swindon 10-15 years

Lorikeets

The lorikeet is a large family of parrots that has more than 50 subtypes. Yes, not all of these types are kept as pets. However, there are 12 subtypes of lorikeets that are known as pets and they are. :

Race Expected service life
Black Lori 18 years
Black-headed Lori up to 25 years
Black-winged Lori up to 30 years
Blue-tailed lory 15-30 years
Cardinal Lory 25-23 years
Lori from Duivenbode 18 years
Lori by Edward 28-32 years
Lori rainbow 10-15 years
Red Lori 20-28 years
Purple-necked Lori up to 15 years
Yellow-backed talkative Lori 30 years and older
Yellowtail lory up to 20 years

Collared parrots

The collared parrot is a family that has about 14 subtypes, and each subtype has its own subtypes. And if we count all the subtypes of the subtypes, the total could be more than 50. However, not all of them are known as pets. The most popular types of the Ring-Nickels family are:

Race Expected service life
Parakeets of Alexandria up to 30 years
Indian ringnecks up to 30 years
Whisked Parakeets / Mustaches / Java up to 25 years
Plum-headed parakeets aka Plumheads 10-18 years
Pink ring parakeets 25-30 years
Grey-headed parakeets 15-25 years

Parakeet lifespan

Parrot Lifespan

Parrot lifespan

All you need to know about parrot lifespan

Parrots

The parrot is a family of about 18 species of small parrots that can reach a size of about 15 cm. This breed is similar to Quaker parrots, but the two are not related. Parrots can live 15-20 years as pets, but their lifespan is much shorter in nature.

Kakapo parrot

The kakapo is a species of flightless parrot native to New Zealand and is one of the friendliest parrots there is. And this personality trait put them in danger of extinction. However, the efforts of the New Zealand government have saved the species after reaching a total population of less than 50 wild individuals.

There is no pet kakapo these days, but in the past, when Europeans arrived in New Zealand, these parrots were treated as pets, and more often as prey. And it is these reasons that have made them an endangered species.

The kakapo can live between 40 and 80 years in the wild.

Macaw

The macaw is a large family of parrot species, and each subtype in the macaw family has its own life expectancy, and in most cases, the hyacinth macaw lives longer than other macaw breeds, and it can reach 60-70 years in captivity due to the proper care they are supposed to receive. In the wild, the blue hyacinth macaws parrot can live  50 years.

Smaller macaw breeds have a shorter lifespan. The Hahn’s macaw with a lifespan of 30 years, and the mini macaw which can live up to 25 years are just two examples.

Here are 14 other types of macaws:

Race Average service life observed
Red Macaw 50-70 years
Ara de Spix 50-70 years
Blue and yellow macaw up to 70 years
Red and green macaw 20-60 years
Red-winged macaw 25-40 years
Military Macaw 50-60 years
Blue-throated macaw up to 80 years
Rufous-fronted macaw 30-80 years
Large Green Macaw 50-60 years
Blue-winged macaw up to 60 years
Ara de Lear 30-50 years
Rufous-fronted macaw 25-50 years
Golden-collared macaw up to 50 years
Red-bellied macaw 30-40 years
Blue-headed macaw 30-40 years
Cuban Macaw up to 40 years

African Grey

The most popular type of parrot is the African gray. This breed has a lifespan of 23 years on average in the wild. In captivity, it can be significantly increased with proper care to reach between 50 and 70 years.

In fact, the African gray species has 2 subtypes, the Congo African gray, and the Timneh African gray, which live between 40 and 60 years in captivity.

Cockatoo

The cockatoo is a large family of parrots that includes about 20 subtypes. Each type has its own characteristics and lifespan:

Race Average service life observed
Yellow-tailed black cockatoo up to 50 years
Yellow-crested cockatoo 20-40 years
White-crested cockatoo 40-60 years
Western Corella 25-30 years
Sulfur-crested cockatoo 20-40 years
Baudin’s black cockatoo 25-50 years
Blue-eyed cockatoo up to 50 years
Black Carnaby Cockatoo 25-50 years
Cockatiel 10-14 years
Red-bellied cockatoo up to 40 years
Ducorps Corella up to 50 years
Galah cockatoo up to 40 years
Gang-Gang Cockatoo 60 years and older
Glossy black cockatoo 20-40 years
Goffin’s cockatoo up to 40 years
Little Corella 50-80 years
Mitchell’s cockatoo 40-80 years
Moluccan cockatoo 70 years
Black palm cockatoo 80-90 years
Red-tailed black cockatoo 45-50 years

Amazonian parrots

The family of Amazonian parrots is one of the largest families. It includes about 35 subtypes of parrots. However, about 12 breeds are known to be pets, and they are:

Race Average service life observed
Yellow-crowned Amazon parrot 80-100 years
Yellow-naped Amazonian parrot up to 80 years
Yellow-headed double-headed amazon parrot up to 80 years
Orange-winged Amazon parrot up to 50 years
Panama Amazon parrot up to 60 years
Red-coated Amazon parrot up to 80 years
Spectacled Amazonian parrot 40 years and older
Mealy Amazonian parrot 60-80 years
Lilac-crowned amazon parrot up to 50 years
Blue-fronted Amazon parrot up to 35 years
Lilac Amazon parrot 40-60 years
Black-billed Amazonian parrot 12 years

 

Parrot Eclectus

The Eclectus parrot is a unique species of parrot that feeds mainly on juicy fruits and vegetables with small amounts of seeds and nuts, unlike other parrots that feed mainly on seeds and nuts. This parrot can live up to 40 years with proper care, and perhaps more in rare cases.

Senegal parrot

The Senegal parrot is another breed of calm and charming parrot. This family has 3 subtypes, and all of them share most of the characteristics and includes the expected lifespan. Senegalese parrots live between 30 and 40 years, depending on the quality of food and care they receive in captivity.

Caique parrot

Caicos parrots are only 2 subtypes, the White-bellied Caicos with a life expectancy of 25-40 years. The other subtype is the black-headed calico, whose life expectancy can also reach 40 years. However, this longevity can be achieved mainly in captivity with proper care.

Pionus Parrots

Pionus are a family of 5 main members that can reach up to 30 cm, with a slight difference in coloration between each type. However, this family of parrots can make really fun and adorable pets, and they can live between 25 and 40 years with proper care and healthy eating.

Collared parrots

The collared parrot is a family that has about 14 subtypes, and each subtype has its own subtypes. And if we count all the subtypes of the subtypes, the total could be more than 50. However, not all of them are known as pets.

Parakeet lifespan

African Grey Parrot lifespan

Why do parrots live so long?

The functioning of the parrot’s body is really different from that of most mammals. Their high resting glucose level, body temperature, ability to fly, and higher metabolic rate are the reasons why the parrot lives longer than many other birds. And in many cases, a parrot can outlive its owner if it receives the care and feeding it needs.

However, these are the essential elements for a parrot to live a long time, other factors like a good healthy diet, safety, and mental stimulants that will keep the bird mentally healthy are all necessary for a parrot to live long.

 

There is no guaranteed age for all these species. The species included in this article are mostly pet parrots and some rare and endangered species. There are still many species whose lifespan is unknown.

The lifespans mentioned in the tables above are usually possible with proper care, many of these breeds will experience much shorter lifespans in captivity due to the lack of experience of their owner.

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