Listed below is a table detailing all known longevity records pertaining to all species of which the group has ringed 25 or more since 1959. The British-ringed records have been extracted from the BTO's Ringing and Migration annual ringing reports, and are also available from the British Trust for Ornithology website.
Some of the WWRG-ringed species have had few recoveries and so no significant longevity has been noted. Where a Wash-ringed bird holds the British record, the details appear in orange.
British Ringed |
Wash Wader Group Ringed |
|||||
| Species | Ring Number | Years | Months | Ring Number | Years | Months |
| Oystercatcher | SS88071 | 36 | 8 | SS88071 | 36 | 8 |
| Ringed Plover | BV85945 | 19 | 8 | BV85945 | 19 | 8 |
| Golden Plover | 20772773 | 12 | 0 | DN77939 | 6 | 5 |
| Grey Plover | DR33258 | 25 | 0 | DR33258 | 25 | 0 |
| Lapwing | DS30355 | 21 | 1 | |||
| Knot | CE25745 | 27 | 3 | CK68568 | 24 | 0 |
| Sanderling | BB52147 | 17 | 7 | BB52147 | 17 | 7 |
| Little Stint | KR8--- | 3 | 11 | |||
| Curlew Sandpiper | NB15296 | 12 | 11 | |||
| Purple Sandpiper | CV58657 | 13 | 11 | BV89291 | 11 | 11 |
| Dunlin | NR32469 | 18 | 11 | NR32469 | 18 | 11 |
| Ruff | CC91720 | 9 | 0 | CE33211 | 6 | 7 |
| Snipe | XC34292 | 16 | 0 | |||
| Black-tailed Godwit | EF9083 (previously controlled by WWRG) | 23 | 5 | |||
| Bar-tailed Godwit | DS66532 | 32 | 0 | DS66532 | 32 | 0 |
| Whimbrel | EH49697 | 16 | 1 | |||
| Curlew | FS40887 | 31 | 5 | FV43050 | 27 | 9 |
| Spotted Redshank | DR28508 | 7 | 5 | DR28508 | 7 | 5 |
| Redshank | DR74213 | 20 | 1 | P10010 & DN20546 | 17 | 0 |
| Greenshank | DR70162 | 16 | 0 | DR96000 | 5 | 11 |
| Common Sandpiper | NV54164 | 14 | 0 | |||
| Turnstone | XS56243 | 20 | 0 | CC88754 | 19 | 2 |
It is noteworthy that, for some of the species that we catch regularly, the longevity records are still being beaten fairly frequently - pointing to the fact that, for these species, expected maximum life spans have not yet been established. This was particularly true of Oystercatchers since, it seems, a good number of birds still survive since increased numbers were ringed following the advent of rocket/canon-netting in 1967; birds between 25 and 30 years old continue to be caught or recovered fairly regularly, and we may expect the 36 years record to be extended.
On the other hand it is particularly noticeable that the longevity record for a Wash-ringed Redshank has remained at 17yr 0m since 1976; The first to achieve this was P10010; a bird originally caught in the group's first-ever catch on 18/08/59, and only the 10th bird ringed by the WWRG! The second to make it to 17 years was just 9 days older than the first when it was controlled in 2004. P10010 held the national longevity record from 1976 until it was beaten elsewhere by an 18yr 5m old recovery in 1993 with the record then being extended to 19yr 10m in 1995. Such long-standing records would point to the assumption we have established the normal maximum life expectancy for Redshank; any living over 17 years being exceptional. This also looks to be the case for Knot (24yr00m), Sanderling (17yr 7m), Dunlin (18yr 11m) and Turnstone (19yr 2m), all of which have longevity records that have seldom changed, if at all, in fifteen years or more, despite significant numbers being caught from the 1960’s through to the 1980’s.