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Birds｜Group Overview
Representative species and lifespans compared across four groups — small-to-medium parrots, large parrots, finches and pigeons: budgerigars average 6 years and can reach 18, cockatiels average 16 years with some cases past 30, Java sparrows 4 to 5 years, canaries average 8 years, and large parrots range from 20 years to more than 100. Every figure carries its source; where no authoritative year count could be found for monk parakeets and domestic pigeons, the entry is honestly left open, and backyard chickens have moved to the dedicated poultry chapter.
Birds｜Group Overview
This content is compiled from the birds chapter of the veterinary animal encyclopedia. The same sign calls for different handling in different species, and copying what is done for another species can be harmful — first confirm which animal you are dealing with.
| Group | Representative species (scientific name) | Lifespan | Position in keeping and popularity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small-to-medium parrots | Budgerigar *Melopsittacus undulatus*／Cockatiel *Nymphicus hollandicus*／Monk parakeet *Myiopsitta monachus* | Budgerigar averages 6 years (can reach 18 years); cockatiel averages 16 years (some cases past 30 years) (AVMA: "Parakeets...live an average of six years, but can live as long as 18 years" "Cockatiels live 16 years on average, but many have lived for more than 30 years"); monk parakeet [Verification result: no single authoritative verbatim figure — the full AVMA selecting-pet-bird text was re-checked (it does not name the monk parakeet／Quaker parrot), and a DuckDuckGo site search of merckvetmanual.com and AAV／.edu sites turned up only non-whitelisted sources such as parakeetsandbudgies.com and psittacology, 2026-07-30] (commonly understood to be far longer than mammals of similar size; keepers often underestimate it) | The world's most common entry-level cage bird, kept in the largest number of households |
| Large parrots | African grey parrot *Psittacus erithacus*／Macaws *Ara* spp.／Cockatoos *Cacatua* spp. | AVMA: large parrots (parrots, conures, macaws, cockatoos) "range from 20 years to more than 100 years"; ⚠️ the African grey is not named individually in that source; it belongs to the same large-parrot category and the range should be applicable, but there is no independently verified figure | High intelligence, high price, high risk of relinquishment or rehoming |
| Finches | Java sparrow *Lonchura oryzivora*／Canary *Serinus canaria domestica* | Java sparrow averages 4–5 years; canary averages 8 years (some cases reported at 20 years) (AVMA: "Finches live an average of four to five years" "Canaries live an average of eight years, have been reported to live for 20 years") | Entry-level option for group housing with low interaction demands |
| Pigeons | Domestic pigeon *Columba livia domestica* | [No single authoritative figure for this item: the whitelisted sources give no lifespan reference value specific to pigeons] | Racing, ornamental and urban feral pigeons coexist |
| Backyard chickens | — | — | → Now a separate chapter, see `26-T7-家禽.md` (covering laying hens／broilers／ornamental chickens／ducks／geese; with the four mandatory columns 🔴 withdrawal period／🔴 notifiable disease reporting／🔴 flock-level handling／🔴 egg food safety, detailed in section three (E) of that file) |
⚠️ As a rule, every entry in the lifespan column above is first marked as awaiting machine verification; filling in specific year counts from memory is not allowed. [Verification result: every entry in the lifespan column above has been verified and closed out (budgerigar／cockatiel／Java sparrow／canary／large parrots have verbatim AVMA figures; no verbatim year counts were found in whitelisted sources for the monk parakeet and the pigeon, which are marked as having no single authoritative value), see each column and `72-log-20犬21貓24鳥.md`, 2026-07-30]
Limits of this content
This content comes from the birds chapter of the veterinary encyclopedia (see the evidence chain for the original location and content hash). The sources at the end are the authoritative materials cited by that chapter; the correspondence is at chapter level, which does not mean every sentence is traced sentence by sentence back to a given source. This material is for education and cannot replace diagnosis and prescription by a practising veterinarian; in an emergency, seek veterinary care immediately. This text has not been clinically reviewed by a named veterinarian.
FAQ
- How long do common pet birds live?
- According to AVMA data, budgerigars average 6 years and can reach 18; cockatiels average 16 years, with some cases past 30; Java sparrows average 4 to 5 years; canaries average 8 years, with reports of 20; large parrots (including macaws and cockatoos) range from 20 years to more than 100. For the monk parakeet and the domestic pigeon, no authoritative verbatim year count could be found.
- よく飼われる鳥はどれくらい生きますか。 — AVMA の資料では、セキセイインコは平均 6 年で 18 年に達することもあり、オカメインコは平均 16 年で 30 年を超えた例もあります。ブンチョウは平均 4〜5 年、カナリアは平均 8 年で 20 年の報告もあります。大型オウム（コンゴウインコやバタンを含む）は 20 年から 100 年超の範囲です。オキナインコとカワラバトについては権威ある逐語的な年数が見つかっていません。
- How long do common pet birds live? — According to AVMA data, budgerigars average 6 years and can reach 18; cockatiels average 16 years, with some cases past 30; Java sparrows average 4 to 5 years; canaries average 8 years, with reports of 20; large parrots (including macaws and cockatoos) range from 20 years to more than 100. For the monk parakeet and the domestic pigeon, no authoritative verbatim year count could be found.
- What should I watch out for with large parrots?
- African greys, macaws and cockatoos are highly intelligent and expensive birds whose lifespan can run to several decades or even past 100 years, which is also why the risk of relinquishment and rehoming is high. Before taking one on, weigh that lifespan as a long-term commitment.
- 大型オウムを飼うときに注意することは何ですか。 — ヨウム、コンゴウインコ、バタンは知能が高く価格も高いグループで、寿命は数十年、場合によっては 100 年を超えます。そのため手放しや譲渡のリスクも高くなります。飼う前に、その寿命の長さを長期的な約束として評価してください。
- What should I watch out for with large parrots? — African greys, macaws and cockatoos are highly intelligent and expensive birds whose lifespan can run to several decades or even past 100 years, which is also why the risk of relinquishment and rehoming is high. Before taking one on, weigh that lifespan as a long-term commitment.
- If I want to keep backyard chickens, is this bird group overview enough?
- No. Backyard chickens now have their own poultry chapter covering laying hens, broilers, ornamental chickens, ducks and geese, including the four mandatory columns on withdrawal period, notifiable disease reporting, flock-level handling and egg food safety — exactly the parts where chickens are most likely to harm people, which the bird group material does not cover.
- 庭先でニワトリを飼いたいのですが、鳥類のグループ総覧だけで足りますか。 — 足りません。庭先のニワトリは家禽の専章として独立しており、採卵鶏、肉用鶏、観賞鶏、アヒル、ガチョウを収録し、休薬期間、法定の届出、群単位の対処、卵の食品安全という 4 つの必須欄を含みます。これらはニワトリが人に害を及ぼしやすい部分であり、鳥類グループの内容では扱いません。
- If I want to keep backyard chickens, is this bird group overview enough? — No. Backyard chickens now have their own poultry chapter covering laying hens, broilers, ornamental chickens, ducks and geese, including the four mandatory columns on withdrawal period, notifiable disease reporting, flock-level handling and egg food safety — exactly the parts where chickens are most likely to harm people, which the bird group material does not cover.
Source anchors
- Merck 獸醫手冊｜鳥章引用 · https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/pet-birds/management-of-pet-birds · 在 IDAEO 的其他引用
- AVMA｜鳥章引用 · https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/petcare/selecting-pet-bird · 在 IDAEO 的其他引用
- aav.org｜鳥章引用 · https://aav.org/ · 在 IDAEO 的其他引用
- 本文證據鏈：原始章節位置與內容雜湊 · https://km.idaeo.ai/reports/vet-bird-groups-evidence · 在 IDAEO 的其他引用
Cite this article
獸醫百科編輯部・《Birds｜Group Overview》・IDAEO 知識庫・2026-08-13・https://km.idaeo.ai/post/vet/bird-groupsUpdated 2026-08-14