Classification
Order — Psittaciformes.
Family — Psittaculidae.
Subfamily — Agapornithinae.
Genus — Agapornis.
Species — Rosy-faced lovebird, Agapornis roseicollis, (Vieillot, 1818)—or peach-faced lovebird, Yellow-collared lovebird, Agapornis personatus, Reichenow, 1887—or masked lovebird, Fischer's lovebird, Agapornis fischeri, Reichenow, 1887, Lilian's lovebird, Agapornis lilianae, Shelley, 1894—or Nyasa lovebird, Black-cheeked lovebird, Agapornis nigrigenis, W.L. Sclater, 1906, Grey-headed lovebird, Agapornis canus, (Gmelin, 1788)—or Madagascar lovebird, Black-winged lovebird, Agapornis taranta, (Stanley, 1814)—or Abyssinian lovebird, Red-headed lovebird, Agapornis pullarius, (Linnaeus, 1758)—or red-faced lovebird, Black-collared lovebird, Agapornis swindernianus, (Kuhl, 1820)—or Swindern's lovebird.
Habitat
The homeland of lovebirds is Southeastern and Southwestern Africa. Birds also inhabit Madagascar and some other nearby islands. For accommodation lovebirds choose dense rainforests, mainly near the rivers and lakes.
Outward appearance
Length: 13-17 cm.
Weight: 40 to 60 g.
The lovebird is a small stocky parrot.
Bill is large .
Tail is either round or square.
Heads and beaks are large.
Faces (sometimes the whole head) and neck are usually a different, brighter color than the rest of the body. The exact coloration depends on the species.
Bill of young lovebirds has a black band that fades as they age.
Character
It is recommended you do not house a lovebird alone. Indicative of their name, they regard each other with deep fondness and affection. They show an especially intenseurge for bonding. It is a characteristic deeply imbedded in them. They will even bond to their same sex.
It is important for lovebirds to give each other, and receive, constant assurance and acknowledgement. These needs are satisfied by frequent contact, as in kissing and preening, or may come in a more serious manner, such as painful nips and bites.
Lovebirds are prone to loud, vocal outbursts. These usually are during times of alarm or excitement. Although they are not singers, their chirps, squeals, and chortles, make a music of their own. They dearly love to chatter and talk amongst themselves. If your desire is for a quiet bird, lovebirds are definitely not for you!
Maintenance care
Lovebirds are very active birds. If the parrot has an inactive lifestyle, however, occasionally the toe nails grow long and may need to be trimmed. Only the very tips of the toe nails are trimmed. If too much of a toe nail is trimmed away, it will be painful and bleed from the blood vessels in the centre of the nail.
When housing your lovebird, bird cages or an aviary best suited to them must provide a lot of space. Natural perches and special rough surfaced perches of varying diameters placed at different levels in the cage will allow greater climbing mobility and gives them a choice to select the most comfortable spot to roost.They also require plenty of toys, such as willow branches, swings, tunnels, boxes and safe things to chew on and play with.
Feeding
Your pet will need fresh food — a variety of fruits and vegetables (apples, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, banana, papaya and melons), cooked grains and beans, and healthy human food—two times a day. Wholegrain breads are okay, but avoid anything containing high levels of fat, salt and sugar. Make pellets available all day, and provide a small amount of seeds and nuts once a day. Fresh, clean water must be available at all times. Like other parrots, lovebirds can be messy eaters, so be prepared to clean the water bowl, cage, and surrounding area regularly.
Features
The Lovebird is an intelligent and affectionate bird.
It has the ability to learn to talk and whistle. Its speech is clear and distinct.
It responds eagerly to your voice and expects a loving gesture as a reward.
Lovebirds are very hardy and do not need to be kept particularly warm all the time, but should not be exposed to freezing conditions.
It is small in size but it is a big parrot by temperament.
Breeding
One of the pleasures of lovebirds is that they are easy to breed. For breeding lovebirds, each pair of birds will need 2 nest boxes for sleeping and nesting. These boxes need to be of the same type and size, and placed at the same height on the same wall.
Lovebirds should not be bred unless they are a year old and sexually mature. Lovebirds can and sometimes do breed before a year; however, this can cause complications. If a lovebird is setup with a mate and a nesting box is installed, then courting and mating will follow.
Diseases
Lovebird ailments, signs of illness to be aware of, include if a bird seems withdrawn, its feathers are ruffled and the plumage is dull, it sits with its eyes closed, watery or dull eyes, runny nose, it sleeps a lot, it looses interest in its environment, and it stays at its feed cup. The droppings may change color and be loose (if healthy they are grayish white and not to thin). A couple other lovebird ailments to watch for are a lot of tail bobbing, dropping off its perch, odd breathing, sneezing, and excessive scratching. Some of the common lovebird ailments, illnesses your lovebirds could contract, are injuries from fighting, Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease, Polyoma Virus Infection, yeast infections (Candidiasis), Avian Pox Virus Infection, bacterial infections, internal parasites, mites, ticks, egg binding, intestinal influenza, coccidiosis, respiratory ailments, and diarrhea. An ailing parrot should be taken to a avian veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment.
