Lovebirds
Lovebird Species ... Lovebirds as Pets (info on personality, housing, diet, special needs) ... Lovebird Photos ... Breeding Lovebirds ... Lovebird Books
Lovebirds are small, stocky versions of parrots, with a large
hooked upper beak . Their voice apparatus allows a wide range of articulations, including the imitation of the human voice. Although they are not known to be great talkers; and most never learn to talk at all. Eight of the nine lovebird species come from Africa, the remaining one from Madagascar.
Lovebirds make lively and energetic pet birds. They are available in a variety of colors and are playful and often boisterous birds. African Love Birds require an owner that is equally energetic and is willing to provide the care and attention this animated bird adores. Birds that do not receive this attention become prone to behavioral problems, including feather picking.
Description
Lovebirds are about 13-17 cm in size, 40-60 grams in weight, which puts them among the smallest parrots in the world. They are characterized by a small, stocky build and a short, blunt tail. The beak is rather large for their overall size.
Many lovebirds are green, although color mutations can feature many different colors. Some lovebird species, like the Black-masked Lovebirds, Fischer's, black cheeked, and the yellow-collared lovebird, have a white ring around the eye.
Lifespan is 10 to 15 years.
There are 9 species of lovebirds, of which 8 are available as pets.
Sexually Dimorphic (sexes look different) are the following:
1. Abyssinian Lovebirds
2. Red-faced Lovebirds
3. Madagascar Lovebirds (Grayheaded)
| Information & Chart provided by Dr. Rob Marshall - http://www.birdhealth.com.au) |
| African Love Bird Genus Agopornis |
| Size: 19cm in length |
| Pet Status: Excellent |
| Talking Ability: Poor |
| Noise Level: High |
| Lifespan: Up to 15 years |
| Breeding Ability: Excellent |
| Number of Eggs: 3-6 eggs |
| Incubation: 21-23 days |
| Compatibility with other species: Not recommened |
| Feeding: Seed and Fruit Eaters |
| Health Programmes: Follow the Parrot Health Programme. |
| Sexing: Surgical or DNA sexing is required. Females are generally larger than males. |
Sexually Monomorphic (Sexes look same or Similar)
1. Black-cheeked or Black-faced Lovebirds
2. Fischer's Lovebirds
3. Masked Lovebirds (Black Masked or Yellow collared)
4. Nyasa Lovebirds (Lilian's)
5. Peach-faced or Rosy-faced Lovebirds
Characterized by Eye Rings:
Without Eye Rings:
1. Madagascar
2. Red-faced Lovebirds
3. Peach-faced Lovebirds
4. Abyssinian
With Eye Rings
1. Masked aka Black-masked Lovebirds
2. Fischers Lovebirds
3. Nyasa
4. Black cheeked Lovebirds
Breeding Lovebirds:
The best breeding results for African Love Birds are achieved when kept in a colony system. A group of five or six pairs requires an aviary a minimum of three metres long and one metre wide. African Love birds may also be bred successfully using the cabinet system, where cabinets no less than 80x50x50cm are recommended. Hens build a substantial nest and will gather twigs and other nest building materials from their surrounds. For more information on breeding lovebirds, please visit this webpage.
Caring for your Lovebird:
Please visit the below webpages for further, in-depth information:
- Lovebirds as Pets - Information on personality, diet, housing, special needs
- Talking Ability (compared to other species)
- Procuring a Lovebird
- Breeders:
- - Illinois: Free Flying Aviaries - Julie Avila; Little York Illinois - (309)729-1149 - free_flying2006@hotmail.com www.freeflying2006.bravehost.com ... Specialize in: white face tiels and some of the rarer mutations Breeds tiels, lovebirds, indian ring necks, green cheek conures, sun conures, and ocasionally amazons and b&g macaws
- Breeders:
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Do you breed this species and would like to be listed? Click here for info.
- Breeding Lovebirds
- Lovebird Species
- Lovebird Books
Training and Behavioral Guidance:
Lovebirds are far easier to keep than most other parrots. They are not avid chewers, although do like to tear up paper. If not well socialized, they can become nippy. Even a young bird that has not been neglected and abused requires proper guidance; this becomes even more challenging when it involves a rescued bird that may require rehabilitation.
- Web Resources: I put together web resources for you to help you understand your pet bird and properly direct him. Please visit this website for valuable tips on parrot behavior and training.
- If you are, as I am, a visual learner and prefer step-by-step instructions to train your pet, I recommend:
- the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
- Stop Biting
- Perform Tricks &
- Tame ANY SIZE bird you could possibly own
- and/or try the "Teach Your Parrot to Talk" Training Course.
- the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
Class: Aves ... Order: Psittaciformes ... Family: Psittacidae ... Subfamily: Psittacinae ... Genus: Scientific: Agapornis ... English: Lovebirds ... Dutch: Onafscheidelijken ... German: Unzertrennliche ... French: Inséparables ... CITES II - Endangered Species
If you would like to add to or correct any of the above information, or would like to share with web visitors your own experiences, please e-mail the webmaster.
Photo contributions are welcome!
