How Long Do Parrots Live? Lifespans of Macaws and Grays

How long do parrots live in captivity?

Most of what we know about parrot lifespans comes from zoos, where birds are identified and their ages recorded over decades. The best-known compilation, a 2000 survey of zoo longevity records by Brouwer and colleagues, found that many large parrots had lived 40 years or more, and the AnAge longevity database uses these records as its main source.

These are maximum ages, not averages. Many captive parrots die much younger, from disease, accidents or poor conditions, and published averages vary widely between studies.

Pet-care sources often quote higher figures, such as 60–80 years for macaws or 70–90 years for gray parrots. These usually come from owners’ estimates or old anecdotes, and none has been confirmed by records. Treat any parrot said to be “100 years old” with caution.

The oldest parrot on record

The most reliable record belongs to Cookie, a Major Mitchell’s cockatoo (also called the pink cockatoo) at Brookfield Zoo near Chicago. He arrived at the zoo in 1934, when he was thought to be about one year old, and lived there until his death in August 2016, at an estimated 83 years. Guinness World Records recognized him as the oldest parrot.

Other long-lived individuals include Cocky, a sulphur-crested cockatoo that lived at London Zoo for more than 57 years. Famous claims of much older birds, such as parrots said to have belonged to historical figures, cannot be verified.

How long do parrots live in the wild?

Here the honest answer is that we mostly do not know. Following wild parrots for decades is extremely difficult: they live high in forest canopies, travel widely and often look identical as adults, and few have been fitted with leg rings or tracked for their whole lives.

What is clear is that life in the wild is more dangerous. Eggs and chicks are taken by snakes, monkeys and other predators, many young birds die in their first year, and adults face birds of prey, disease, storms, drought, habitat loss and the illegal pet trade. A wild adult macaw or gray parrot that survives these early years probably lives for decades, but it is unlikely to match the oldest zoo birds.

Small parrots are different. Wild budgerigars live in the dry interior of Australia, where droughts and heatwaves can kill large numbers, and they start breeding within their first year. Like most small birds, they live fast and die young.

Lifespans of macaws, grays and other popular parrots

Macaws. The large macaws, including the scarlet macaw, blue-and-yellow and green-winged macaws, regularly live several decades in captivity. They mature slowly, usually breeding only from about three to eight years of age, and raise few chicks, which is typical of long-lived animals.

African gray parrots. The African gray parrot is one of the best-studied parrots. A verified zoo record shows a gray still alive at almost 50 years, and many live past 20 or 30 with good care. In the wild, the species is now Endangered, mainly because of trapping and forest loss.

Cockatoos. Cockatoos hold the longest verified parrot records. Major Mitchell’s, sulphur-crested and other large cockatoos can pass 50 years, and the 83-year-old Cookie remains the benchmark.

Budgerigars and small parakeets. Budgies typically live about 5–10 years in captivity, and the longest reported is around 21 years. Small species generally have the shortest lives in the parrot family.

Kakapo. New Zealand’s flightless, nocturnal kakapo is thought to be one of the longest-lived birds of all, with estimates of 60 years or more, although exact ages of the oldest birds are unknown.

Why do parrots live so long?

Birds in general live longer than mammals of the same size: a pigeon-sized bird can outlive a rat-sized mammal many times over. Parrots stand out even among birds. Several factors seem to be involved:

• Large brains. A 2022 study of zoo records for more than 200 parrot species found that species with larger brains relative to their body size tend to live longer. Big brains may help parrots find scarce food, avoid danger and learn from older flock members.
• Slow life history. Large parrots grow up slowly, breed late and raise few young, and evolution tends to favor bodies that last when animals reproduce slowly over many years.
• Low predation on adults. Flight, strong bills, life in flocks and nesting in tree holes give adult parrots some protection, so natural selection rewards long-term maintenance of the body.
• Cellular protection. Like many birds, parrots appear to cope well with oxidative damage, the wear and tear caused by the chemistry of breathing and metabolism, although this is still being studied.

Can you tell how old a parrot is?

Not reliably by looking. Young parrots often have dark eyes, shorter tails or duller colors, but once adult plumage is complete, an 8-year-old and a 40-year-old macaw look much the same. Accurate ages come from hatching records, leg rings and long-term zoo or research files, which is why verified records are rarer than claims.