Table 1.
Cross-sectional estimates of blood cell telomere rate of change (TROC) from 19 avian species studied (including order and family), observed maximum lifespan (with literature references) and body mass. Sample size (number of individuals) is included for each species along with the range of ages sampled. *Personal communication from D.W.W., 2011.
| species' common name | order (family) | sample size | maximum lifespan (years) [reference] | age range sampled | average adult body mass (g) | TROC (bp yr−1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pygoscelis adeliae Adelie penguin | Sphenisciformes (Spheniscidae) | 20 | 24 [43] | 3.5–14.4 | 4300 | −95 |
| Fulmarus glacialis Northern fulmar | Procellariiformes (Procellariidae) | 27 | 50 [44] | 0–30.5 | 910 | −47 |
| Oceanodroma leucorhoa Leach's storm petrel | Procellariiformes (Hydrobatidae) | 29 | 36 [44] | 0–33 | 45 | 39 |
| Fregata minor Great frigatebird | Suliformes (Fregatidae) | 35 | 43 [44] | 0–44 | 1400 | −22 |
| Sula sula Red-footed booby | Suliformes (Sulidae) | 15 | 23 [44] | 3–19 | 1017 | −217 |
| Haematopus longirostris Oystercatcher | Charadriiformes (Haematopodidae) | 40 | 43 [44] | 0.1–22 | 660 | 80 |
| Calidris pugnax Common ruff | Charadriiformes (Scolopacidae) | 21 | 14 [45] | 0–14 | 180 | −73 |
| Cepphus grille Black guillemot | Charadriiformes (Alcidae) | 22 | 29 [44] | 0–23 | 375 | −66 |
| Uria lomvia Thick-billed murre | Charadriiformes (Alcidae) | 28 | 29 [46] | 0–22 | 1120 | −74 |
| Sterna hirundo Common tern | Charadriiformes (Laridae) | 21 | 33 [44] | 0–24 | 120 | −53 |
| Aphelocoma coerulescens Florida scrub-jay | Passeriformes (Corvidae) | 43 | 16 [47] | 2–11 | 80 | −112 |
| Aphelocoma ultramarine Mexican jay | Passeriformes (Corvidae) | 23 | 25 [44] | 1–21 | 130 | −72 |
| Hirundo rustica Barn swallow | Passeriformes (Hirundinidae) | 17 | 16 [44] | 0–6 | 18 | −205 |
| Tachycineta albilinea Mangrove swallow | Passeriformes (Hirundinidae) | 26 | 12* | 1–4 | 15 | −418 |
| Tachycineta bicolor Tree swallow | Passeriformes (Hirundinidae) | 31 | 12 [44] | 0–7 | 19 | −174 |
| Parus major Great tit | Passeriformes (Paridae) | 30 | 15 [44] | 0.6–4.6 | 18 | −535 |
| Passerculus sandwichensis Savannah sparrow | Passeriforme (Emberizidae)s | 24 | 8 [44] | 0–6 | 22 | −472 |
| Taeniopygia guttata Zebra finch | Passeriformes (Estrildidae) | 17 | 12 [44] | 0.5–4.33 | 13 | −279 |
| Lonchura striata Bengalese finch | Passeriformes (Estrildidae) | 13 | 7 [44] | 0.125–7.33 | 13 | −495 |