Madagascar Lovebirds / Grey-headed Lovebirds
If you are starting out with lovebirds, I would also recommend visiting the following webpages:
The Madagascar Lovebirds come from the island of Madagascar off the coast of Africa and are rarely seen in captivity due to export restrictions from their native country.
Little is known about this bird other from the few specimens that are currently kept in private and zoo collections. Breeders state that this species is difficult to breed and recommend that this task should only be attempted by the most experienced aviculturists as this species is very delicate and as so little is known about their proper husbandry.
Even hand-fed birds tend to remain shy and nervous, and this species of lovebird may be better suited to aviary living than being kept as companion birds.
Description:
The Madagascar Lovebird is the smallest of the lovebird species. This is a sexually dimorphic lovebird species, with distinct visual differences, as can be seen on the photo to the right (top female - bottom male).Cock:
- Back & Wings are dark green
- Head & chest: whitish gray
- Beaks, Legs & Feet: light gray
- Tail: black markings on the tail
- Iris: brown
- Lacks the gray patch on her forehead.
Training and Behavioral Guidance:
Pet parrots generally present challenges, such as excessive chewing - especially at certain stages in their life. They do discover their beaks as method of "disciplining us" once they are out of the "baby stage" and they can generally be somewhat naughty, and it really is important to learn to understand them and to guide their behavior before an undesirable behavior has been established. Undisciplined parrots will chew on electric wiring potentially causing house fires. They regard anything in your home as a "toy" that can be explored and chewed on; destroying items that you may hold dear or are simply valuable. 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:
Species: Scientific: Agapornis canus canus aka Agapornis cana cana ... English: Grey-headed Lovebird, Madagascar Lovebird ... Dutch: Grijskopagapornis, Madagascar Agapornis ... German: Grauköpfchen, Madagaskar Unzertrennlicher ... French: Inséparable
àtête grise 
Sub-Species: cana, ablectanea Distribution: Madagascar Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots ... African Lovebird Society
Sub-Species:
Blue-washed Grey-headed Lovebirds: Species: Scientific: Agapornis canus ablectanea aka Agapornis cana ablectaneus ... English: Blue-washed Grey-headed Lovebird ... Dutch: Ablectanea Grijskopagapornis ... German: Bangs Grauköpfchen ... French: Inséparable ablectanea à tête grise Distribution: South-western Madagascar Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots (please scroll down to no. 2)
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!
