Introduction / Non-passerines / Passerines / Weavers
Table 1. Longevities of southern African birds – Non passerines
Species number from SAFRING; names from Roberts 7; y (years) m (months) d (days); references used are given below table.
Latest updates – Secretarybird – from Dawie de Swardt
Cape Gannet [from paper]
African Skimmer [from paper]
Helmeted Guineafowl
Little Swift
Brown Noddy
| Spno | Species | Years | Longevity (ymd) |
| 1 | Common Ostrich Struthio camelus | 42 | 37–42 yr |
| 2 | African Penguin Spheniscus demersus | 27 | |
| 7 | Wandering Albatross (pre-split) Diomedea exulans | 42 | 41y 4m 26d |
| 8 | Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris | 36 | Also 52814891 Bird Isl – CT, 31y |
| 9 | Grey-headed Albatross Thalassarche chrysostoma | 29 | Also 1425643 on Bird Isl, 54y |
| 10 | Yellow-nosed Albatross (pre-split) Diomedea chlororhynchos | 37 | |
| 11 | Shy Albatross (pre-split) Diomedia cauta | 29 | |
| 13 | Southern Giant-Petrel Macronectes giganteus | 40 | |
| 14 | Pintado Petrel Daption capense | 27 | |
| 15 | Southern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialoides | 27 | |
| 16 | Great-winged Petrel Pterodroma macroptera | 18 | |
| 26 | Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea | 31 | |
| 29 | Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus | 34 | |
| 882 | Manx Shearwater (pre-split) Puffinus puffinus1 | 47 | |
| 30 | European Storm-Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus | 33 | 33y 9m |
| 31 | Leach’s Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa | 36 | |
| 39 | Red-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon rubricauda | 17 | |
| 42 | Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus | 43 | c 43y |
| 43 | Australian Gannet Morus serrator | 33 | 33-34y [del Hoyo et al. 1992, HBW vol 1] |
| 44 | Cape Gannet Morus capensis |
37 | 37y 8m 4d [paper] |
| 47 | White-breasted Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo | 21 | 21 y 9 m 19 d |
| 49 | Bank Cormorant Phalacrocorax neglectus | 16 | 16y 1m |
| 50 | Reed Cormorant Phalacrocorax africanus | 17 | |
| 51 | Crowned Cormorant Phalacrocorax coronatus | 12 | |
| 52 | African Darter Anhinga rufa | 12 | |
| 53 | Greater Frigatebird Fregata minor | 38 | |
| 54 | Grey Heron Ardea cinerea | 12 | 12y 7m 13d ±15 [21y resighting by Dorse] |
| 55 | Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala | 21 | 21y 2m 19d |
| 56 | Goliath Heron Ardea goliath | 4 | 4y 7m 8d |
| 57 | Purple Heron Ardea purpurea | 23 | |
| 58 | Great Egret Egretta alba | 1 | 1y 8m 14d ±15 |
| 59 | Little Egret Egretta garzetta | 9 | 9y 10m 24d |
| 60 | Yellow-billed Egret Egretta intermedia | 9 | 9y 11m 11d |
| 61 | Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis | 23 | 23y 4m 2d ±3 |
| 62 | Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides | 1 | 1y 0m 21d |
| 63 | Green-backed Heron Butorides striata | 12 | 12y 6m 12d |
| 64 | Black Heron Egretta ardesiaca | 0 | 0y 2m 30d |
| 66 | Dwarf Bittern Ixobrychus sturmii | 0 | – |
| 67 | Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus | 6 | 6y 9m 6d |
| 69 | Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax | 10 | 10y 9 m 5 d ±15 |
| 70 | White-backed Night-Heron Gorsachius leuconotus | 0 | – |
| 982 | Slaty Egret Egretta vinaceigula | 0 | – |
| 1015 | Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea | 0 | – |
| 71 | Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris | 0 | – |
| 72 | Hamerkop Scopus umbretta | 20 | |
| 73 | Marabou Stork Leptoptilos crumeniferus | 7 | 7y 10m 23d ±15 |
| 74 | African Openbill Anastomus lamelligerus | 0 | 0y 5m 16d |
| 75 | Saddle-billed Stork Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis | 0 | – |
| 76 | Yellow-billed Stork Mycteria ibis | 0 | – |
| 78 | Abdim’s Stork Ciconia abdimii | 9 | 9y 1m 1d |
| 79 | Black Stork Ciconia nigra | 2 | 2y 11m 18d ±15 |
| 80 | White Stork Ciconia ciconia | 25 | 25y 3m 14d |
| 81 | African Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus | 21 | 21 1m 6d, news (scroll to 2106-08-11) |
| 82 | Southern Bald Ibis Geronticus calvus | 5 | 5y 5m 4d ±15 |
| 83 | Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus | 16 | 16y 4m 3d, news (scroll to 2106-08-30) |
| 84 | Hadeda Ibis Bostrychia hagedash | 10 | 10y 4m 21d, news (scroll to 2106-08-19) |
| 85 | African Spoonbill Platalea alba | 14 | 14y 0m 28d |
| 86 | Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber | 30 | |
| 87 | Lesser Flamingo Phoenicopterus minor | 40 | 40y 8m |
| 88 | Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis | 7 | 7 yr 9 mo |
| 89 | Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus | 15 | 15 yr 10 mo |
| 90 | South African Shelduck Tadorna cana | 13 | 13 yr 11 mo |
| 91 | Comb Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos | 21 | 21y 6m |
| 92 | African Pygmy-Goose Nettapus auritus | 10 | |
| 94 | Cape Shoveler Anas smithii | 11 | |
| 96 | Yellow-billed Duck Anas undulata | 29 | 29y 1m |
| 97 | Red-billed Teal Anas erythrorhyncha | 15 | 15y 2m |
| 98 | Cape Teal Anas capensis | 10 | 10y 10m |
| 100 | White-faced Duck Dendrocygna viduata | 8 | 8 yr 0 mo |
| 102 | Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma | 6 | 6y 8m |
| 104 | White-backed Duck Thalassornis leuconotus | 8 | 8 yr in capt |
| 105 | Secretarybird Sagittarius serpentarius | 4 | 9A54332, 4y 10m 21d – resighting, also moved 266km [published] [24y captive, in 2016] |
| 106 | Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres | 31.2 | 31y 2m, Safring news, ring G13690 |
| 107 | White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus | 19.1 | Paijmans et al. (2017) Ostrich, 88:163-166 19.7 y capt [web] |
| 108 | Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotus | 23.9 | news (scroll to 2106-09-23), G19378, also Paijmans et al. (2017) |
| 109 | White-headed Vulture Trigonoceps occipitalis | 5.7 | |
| 110 | Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus | 21.3 | |
| 111 | Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus | 29 | 0y in Safring, 29y in Europe (paper) |
| 112 | Palm-nut Vulture Gypohierax angolensis | 0 | |
| 113 | Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus | 12 | |
| 114 | Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus | 17 | |
| 117 | Red-necked Falcon Falco chicquera | 3 | |
| 122 | Greater Kestrel Falco rupicoloides | 11 | 11y 10m |
| 123 | Rock Kestrel Falco rupicolus | 8 | news (scroll to 2106-10-14) |
| 128 | Black Kite Milvus migrans | 20 | 20-23 capt |
| 130 | Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus | 10 | |
| 132 | European Honey-Buzzard Pernis apivorus | 29 | |
| 137 | Wahlberg’s Eagle Aquila wahlbergi | 14 | |
| 138 | Long-crested Eagle Lophaetus occipitalis | 13 | |
| 141 | African Hawk-Eagle Aquila spilogaster | 12 | |
| 142 | Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus | 22 | |
| 143 | Crowned Eagles Stephanoaetus coronatus | 12 | East Africa (Brown 1972) – adult observed at nest, thus prob at least 16y |
| 144 | Lizard Buzzard Kaupifalco monogrammicus | 10 | |
| 145 | Brown Snake-Eagle Circaetus cinereus | 7 | |
| 146 | Black-chested Snake-Eagle Circaetus pectoralis | 14 | |
| 149 | African Fish-Eagle Haliaeetus vocifer | 24 | |
| 150 | Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus | 10.7 | news (scroll to 2106-11-10) |
| 151 | Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus | 27 | |
| 152 | Jackal Buzzard Buteo rufofuscus | 25 | |
| 153 | Augur Buzzard Buteo augur | 9 | |
| 154 | Steppe Buzzard Buteo vulpinus | 12 | |
| 155 | Forest Buzzard Buteo trizonatus | 10 | |
| 156 | Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk Accipiter rufiventris | 0 | na |
| 158 | Little Sparrowhawk Accipiter minullus | 4 | 4y 6m |
| 159 | Black Sparrowhawk Accipiter melanoleucus | 12 | 12y (facebook) |
| 160 | African Goshawk Accipiter tachiro | 8 | |
| 161 | Shikra Accipiter badius | 4 | 4y 3m |
| 165 | Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk Melierax canorus | 24 | 24y 7m |
| 169 | Black Harrier Circus maurus | 7 | 7y 2m (facebook) |
| 171 | African Harrier-Hawk Polyboroides typus | 8 | |
| 172 | Osprey Pandion haliaetus | 25 | |
| 180 | Wedge-tailed Shearwater Puffinus pacificus | 29 | |
| 189 | Common Quail Coturnix coturnix | 8 | 8 yr |
| 192 | Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris | 9 | 9y 2m 5d (862414) |
| 196 | Kurrichane Buttonquail Turnix sylvaticus | 9 | 9 capt |
| 197 | African Rail Rallus caerulescens | 4 | 4y 7m |
| 200 | Striped Crake Aenigmatolimnas marginalis | 8 | 8y 11m capt |
| 203 | Black Crake Amaurornis flavirostris | 3 | 3y 11m |
| 205 | Red-chested Flufftail Sarothrura rufa | 8 | 8y 3m capt |
| 206 | Buff-spotted Flufftail Sarothrura elegans | 3 | |
| 208 | African Purple Swamphen Porphyrio madagascariensis | 2 | 2y 4m |
| 210 | Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus | 18 | 18y 7m |
| 212 | Red-knobbed Coot Fulica cristata | 23 | 23y 9m |
| 214 | Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum | 7 | 7y 0m |
| 215 | Wattled Crane Bugeranus carunculatus | 10 | 10y 9m |
| 216 | Blue Crane Anthropoides paradiseus | 12 | 12y 10m |
| 217 | Kori Bustard Ardeotis kori | 26 | 26 capt |
| 228 | African Jacana Actophilornis africanus | 6 | 6y 10m |
| 231 | African Black Oystercatcher Haematopus moquini | 29 | |
| 232 | Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres | 19 | 19y 8m |
| 233 | Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula | 19 | 19y 11m |
| 235 | White-fronted Plover Charadrius marginatus | 11 | 11y 9m |
| 236 | Chestnut-banded Plover Charadrius pallidus | 11 | 11y 6m |
| 237 | Kittlitz’s Plover Charadrius pecuarius | 10 | 10y 9m |
| 238 | Three-banded Plover Charadrius tricollaris | 11.5 | |
| 241 | Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola | 20 | |
| 242 | Crowned Lapwing Vanellus coronatus | 15 | 15 y 1 d |
| 245 | Blacksmith Lapwing Vanellus armatus | 14.5 | |
| 247 | African Wattled Lapwing Vanellus senegallus | 21 | 21y 7m 14d |
| 248 | Long-toed Lapwing Vanellus crassirostris | 16 | 16y 8m 3d |
| 250 | African Snipe Gallinago nigripennis | 6 | |
| 251 | Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea | 19 | |
| 253 | Little Stint Calidris minuta | 12 | |
| 255 | Sanderling Calidris alba | 13 | 13y 1m |
| 256 | Ruff Philomachus pugnax | 13 | 13y 11m |
| 257 | Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus | 16 | 16y 10m |
| 258 | Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos | 14 | 14y 6m |
| 259 | Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus | 11 | 11y 6m |
| 261 | Common Redshank Tringa totanus | 20 | 20y 4 m |
| 262 | Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis | 7 | 7y 1m |
| 263 | Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia | 25 | 25y 5m |
| 264 | Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola | 11 | 11y 7m |
| 265 | Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa | 18 | 18y 9m |
| 266 | Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica | 31 | 31y 4m |
| 268 | Common Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus | 12 | |
| 269 | Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta | 24 | 24y 6m |
| 270 | Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus | 12 | 12y 2m |
| 274 | Water Thick-knee Burhinus vermiculatus | 19 | |
| 275 | Spotted Thick-knee Burhinus capensis | 31 | 31-32 capt, ref Day 1988 |
| 284 | Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus | 25 | 25y 11m |
| 286 | Subantarctic Skua Catharacta antarctica | 11 | |
| 287 | Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus | 24 | 24y 2m |
| 288 | Grey-headed Gull Larus cirrocephalus | 15 | 15y 4m |
| 289 | Hartlaub’s Gull Larus hartlaubii | 27 | 27y 6m 8d |
| 290 | Caspian Tern Sterna caspia | 30 | |
| 291 | Common Tern Sterna hirundo | 33 | |
| 292 | Antarctic Tern Sterna vittata | 19 | 19y 6m |
| 293 | Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii | 25.6 | |
| 294 | Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea | 34 | |
| 296 | Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis | 30 | 30y 9m |
| 298 | Swift Tern Sterna bergii | 26 | 26y 6m |
| 299 | Little Tern Sterna albifrons | 23 | 23y 11m |
| 300 | Damara Tern Sterna balaenarum | 8 | 8y 11m |
| 303 | Brown Noddy Anous stolidus | 0 | 7y 9m 5d (DH17607), global 26y |
| 306 | African Skimmer Rynchops flavirostris | 2 | 2y 0m 17d (Lark 2024, 56:81-84; also 50:81-82) |
| 310 | Double-banded Sandgrouse Pterocles bicinctus | 3 | |
| 311 | Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea | 10 | |
| 314 | Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata | 6 | 6y 9m |
| 315 | African Mourning Dove Streptopelia decipiens | 10 | |
| 316 | Cape Turtle-Dove Streptopelia capicola | 34 | 34y 7m |
| 317 | Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis | 18 | |
| 319 | Tambourine Dove Turtur tympanistria | 5.5 | |
| 320 | Blue-spotted Wood-Dove Turtur afer | 12.5 | |
| 321 | Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove Turtur chalcospilos | 9.5 | |
| 326 | Cape Parrot (pre-split) Poicephalus robustus1 | 35 | |
| 339 | Grey Go-away-bird Corythaixoides concolor | 9 | 9 capt; 6y 9m 26d (facebook, PA17741) |
| 341 | African Cuckoo Cuculus gularis | 7 | J Lund pers comm. |
| 352 | Diderick Cuckoo Chrysococcyx caprius | 6 | |
| 368 | Spotted Eagle Owl Bubo africanus | 10 | 10y 4m (52401804) (from Raptor recovs) |
| 369 | Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl Bubo lacteus | 15 | 15 capt |
| 371 | European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus | 11 | 11y 11m |
| 372 | Rufous-cheeked Nightjar Caprimulgus rufigena | 16 | 16y 10m – African Birdlife 2022, 10(5):59 |
| 373 | Fiery-necked Nightjar Caprimulgus pectoralis | 10 | |
| 374 | Freckled Nightjar Caprimulgus tristigma | 6 | |
| 376 | Square-tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus fossii | 9.5 | |
| 378 | Common Swift Apus apus | 21 | |
| 383 | White-rumped Swift Apus caffer | 10 | |
| 384 | Horus Swift Apus horus | 13 | (Steyn 1996, Nesting birds, p118) |
| 385 | Little Swift Apus affinis | 18 | 18y 9m, E38533 [Bokmakierie 268:4] [prev 8y 1m] |
| 386 | Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba | 26 | |
| 387 | African Palm-Swift Cypsiurus parvus | 2 | 2y 6.5m |
| 390 | Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus | 12 | 12y 4m capt |
| 391 | White-backed Mousebird Colius colius | 7 | 7y 7m capt |
| 392 | Red-faced Mousebird Urocolius indicus | 12 | 12y 5m capt |
| 394 | Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis | 5 | 5y 10m |
| 395 | Giant Kingfisher Megaceryle maximus | 8 | 8y 0m |
| 396 | Half-collared Kingfisher Alcedo semitorquata | 4 | 4y 0m |
| 397 | Malachite Kingfisher Alcedo cristata | 6 | 6y 5m |
| 398 | African Pygmy-Kingfisher Ispidina picta | 3 | 3y 10m |
| 399 | Woodland Kingfisher Halcyon senegalensis | 9 | 9y 10m (new 13y) |
| 400 | Mangrove Kingfisher Halcyon senegaloides | 0 | |
| 401 | Grey-headed Kingfisher Halcyon leucocephala | 4 | 4y 11m |
| 402 | Brown-hooded Kingfisher Halcyon albiventris | 8 | 8y 10m |
| 403 | Striped Kingfisher Halcyon chelicuti | 3 | 3y 6m |
| 404 | European Bee-eater Merops apiaster | 7 | Maximum known age in wild is 7 years; 9y for hand-reared birds [see BOW] |
| 409 | White-fronted Bee-eater Merops bullockoides | 6 | |
| 410 | Little Bee-eater Merops pusillus | 7 | |
| 413 | Lilac-breasted Roller Coracias caudatus | 4 | 4y 3m 8d |
| 415 | Purple Roller Coracias naevius | 3 | 3y 6m 4d |
| 430 | African Ground Hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri | 60 | 50-60y, Carrie Hickman pers comm. |
| 440 | Greater Honeyguide Indicator indicator | 0 | 0y 3m 19d (Lark 2022, 41:60) |
| 442 | Lesser Honeyguide Indicator minor | 0 | 0y 4m 2d (Lark 2022, 41:59) |