Holiday Brochures | Contact us

Browse Old Articles

Safari of the week

CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL DETAILS OR TO BOOK.

41 year old razorbill and 31 year old curlew amongst avian record breakers.

09/07/2008 12:18:07

The complete list of record-breakers

Razorbill, 41 years (recaught at its home colony in Gwynedd).
Curlew, 31 years (ringed in Clwyd, seen breeding in Germany).
Black-headed Gull, 27 years (ringed in Hyde Park and seen in St James' Park, London).
Canada Goose, 27 years (ringed in Nottinghamshire and found dead at the same site).
Knot, 27 years (ringed in Highland, seen in The Netherlands).
Turnstone, 20 years (ringed and recaught at the same site in Clywd).
Little Tern, 17 years (ringed in Suffolk, recaught in Belgium).
Mediterranean Gull, 15 years (ringed in Kent, recaught in The Netherlands).
Carrion Crow, 15 years (ringed in Nottinghamshire and found dead 10km away).
Common Sandpiper, 14 years (recaught 3km from where it was originally ringed in Derbyshire).
Barn Owl, 13 years (ringed on the Isle of Wight and found dead 12km away).
Lesser Whitethroat, 7 years (ringed and recaught at the same site in Norfolk).

Razorbill M23170 has just become the oldest of its kind in Britain.

July 2008. In the latest British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Ringing Report, Razorbill M23170, ringed as a chick on the cliffs of Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in 1967 was reported back on the island for its 41st summer.

Curlew: Jill Pakenham/BTO

The report in the journal Ringing and Migration lists 11 other record breakers, including; a 31 year-old Curlew, a 20 year-old Turnstone and a13 year-old Barn Owl. The age of these birds is known because each carries a unique numbered ring, put on by a licensed BTO volunteer. The typical lifespan of these four birds is much lower (at 13, 5, 9 and 3 years respectively), so these birds really are exceptional.

Razorbill & turnstone still nesting
The Razorbill and the Turnstone were both seen again at the very place they had their rings fitted 41 and 20 years earlier and were alive and well. The Curlew, having been ringed at the Point of Ayr in Clwyd, was found breeding in West Germany at Alte Piccardie. The Barn Owl was less fortunate being found dead 12km from where it was ringed as a chick on the Isle of Wight.

Mark Grantham from the BTO Ringing Unit commented: "These birds really are the extremes, and show the importance of bird ringing here in the UK. Without our army of volunteers out ringing these birds we really wouldn't know much about their lives. It isn't just ringers that can help; of these record breakers, half were found by members of the public.

Crow: John Harding/BTO

You can help
You don't even have to travel to a far-flung island to find a record-breaker. The Black-headed Gull in a London park and Canada Goose in a Nottingham park both became the oldest of their kind at 27 years.

On average, fewer than one in fifty birds ringed is subsequently reported to the BTO, so every report of a ringed bird is of value. To report a ringed bird, phone 01842 750050, write to Ringing Unit, BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU or log on to http://www.bto.org/ringing/index.htm

Read the comments about this article and leave your own comment

To post a comment you must be logged in.
CLICK HERE TO LOG IN AND POST A COMMENT

New user? Register here

Name:
Email:

Click join and we will email you with your password. You can then sign on and join the discussions right away.

Created by Wild Dog Design & Bright Interactive

Visit sponsor