There are thousands of different types of birds in the world, but there’s none quite like the hummingbird. These tiny, very fast and cute birds are unique, and today, we’re going to talk about them.
Hummingbirds have over 300 different species in the US alone, but they all share the same life expectancy, which goes from 3 to 5 years top, depending on many different conditions.
How long do hummingbirds live?
Like we just said, hummingbirds can live anywhere from 3 to 5 years, with some being able to live a couple of years more, having a relatively short lifespan.
However, some studies have shown that their life expectancy can also vary; some say hummingbirds can live beyond 5 years, with some of them making it to the 6 year mark.
Actually, the record for the oldest hummingbird ever alive was 6 years and 11 months, showing that these little but fast birds are capable of making it very far in live, surpassing expectations.
How long do hummingbirds live in the wild?
Hummingbirds, as most birds, are a tiny species. This means they aren’t natural predators, but are often the pray of bigger, deadlier animals that live in the same environment as they do.
Although hummingbirds, when left alone and in peace, can live up to 5 years in the wild, they’re exposed to snakes, lizards, bats, and even bigger, dangerous birds who can harm them or kill them.
This reduces their lifespan in a significant way, making them live a shorter life (from 2 to 3 years, if they stay out of any potential predator or danger).
As a matter of fact, studies have shown that hummingbirds living in the wild are most likely to die during their first year of living, but if they are lucky enough to surpass the one year mark, their life expectancy goes up dramatically.
How long do hummingbirds live in captivity?
Like we mentioned before, hummingbirds actually do live longer in captivity than in the wild, being able to live up to 6 years in captivity, meanwhile they usually die during their first year in their natural habitat.
Hummingbirds are found all across America, usually in flower paths, since they do feed off of them during their entire life. They are also very common, and it’s likely you’ll across different species of hummingbirds during your life.
Hummingbirds living in captivity are usually fed with very small insects such as aphids, small spiders, fruit flies, and gnats, but, of course, they still keep their natural diet, consuming nectar from the flowers.
Life expectancy of hummingbirds according to the species
Usually, we would mention the different life expectancy of the many hummingbirds species there are, but the thing is, they all share a similar lifespan, meaning they are all expected to live from 3 to 5 (6, if they are lucky) years in captivity, and 1 to 5 years in the wild.