AnAge entry for Tachycineta bicolor

Classification (HAGRID: 00938)

Taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Chordata
        Class: Aves (Taxon entry)
            Order: Passeriformes
                Family: Hirundinidae
                    Genus: Tachycineta
Species: Tachycineta bicolor
Common name: Tree swallow
Synonyms: Iridoprocne bicolor

Maximum longevity: 12.1 years (wild)
Source: ref. 427
Sample size: Medium
Data quality: Acceptable
Observations: A 25-year study in the wild found that reproductive performance first increased until about 3-5 years of age, possibly due to acquired skills, and then declined, perhaps caused by physiological ageing and influenced by previous reproductive efforts [0419].

No information on metabolism is available.

[1143] Nussey et al. (2013), Senescence in natural populations of animals: widespread evidence and its implications for bio-gerontology (PubMed)
[0779] Haussmann et al. (2007), Telomerase activity is maintained throughout the lifespan of long-lived birds (PubMed)
[0751] Haussmann et al. (2005), Cell-mediated immunosenescence in birds (PubMed)
[0432] Haussmann et al. (2004), Telomerase expression is differentially regulated in birds of differing life span (PubMed)
[0419] Robertson and Rendell (2001), A long-term study of reproductive performance in tree swallows: the influence of age and senescence on output
[0732] Starck and Ricklefs (1998), Avian growth rate data set
[0444] John Terres (1980), The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds
[0427] BBL - Longevity Records of North American Birds
[0445] The Birds of North America Online