Lovebirds

Madagascar

 Fischer's Nyasa Black Cheek
Agapornis cana Agapornis fischeri Agapornis lilianae Agapornis nigrigenis

Masked

 Red Faced Abyssinian (Black Winged) Black Collard
Agapornis personata Agapornis pullaria Agapornis taranta Agapornis swindernia
Peach-Faced
Agapornis roseicollis


Taxonomy:

Class: Aves (birds)
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae (parrots)
Genus: Agapornis (this name is taken from the Greek words for "lovebird.")
 

Names :

Agapornis cana: Madagascar or Gray-headed Lovebird
Agapornis fischeri: Fisher's Lovebird
Agapornis lilianae: Nyasa Lovebird
Agapornis nigrigenis: Black-cheeked Lovebird
Agapornis personata: Masked lovebird
Agapornis pullaria: Red-faced Lovebird
Agapornis roseicollis: Peach-faced Lovebird
Agapornis taranta: Abyssinian or Black-winged Lovebird
Agapornis Swindernia: Black-collared Lovebird


Only eight of these lovebird species are available in aviculture. The Black-collared lovebird is rare and cannot be kept alive in captivity.

Distribution:

All lovebirds are native to Africa except the Grey-headed lovebird which comes from the island of Madagascar.

Description:
Length:  Between 5.1-6.7 inches (13-17 cm)

Plumage: The different species of lovebird are identifiable by their colors and markings. They vary greatly in their coloring, and each species can be viewed for their unique combinations. Younger birds are duller in color and they have black in their beaks. They have a large bill and a tail that is either round or square.

Habitat:  They prefer dry rocky areas with bushes and trees and occasionally palm groves, cultivated areas and edges of inhabited places where water occurs; never found far from water.

Wild Status and Diet: Lovebirds are usually found in groups of 12 birds; exceptionally in larger numbers; noisy and active, often quarrelsome within the group; pairs remain close; regular grooming within the group; they can be nomadic stopping where their is water; they fly in the evening; swift in flight with sudden turns; call shrill but often heard chattering. Their diet is seed especially acacia, in addition berries and fruits are eaten; they have been known to cause considerable damage to grain fields.

 Nutrition: Good seed mix including: various millets, canary grass seed, sunflower and hemp; millet spray also spouted millet, plenty of green food, vegetables and fruit; provide young birds with vitamin C and mineral supplements.
Breeding: Breeding is usually successful and not difficult; breed most of the year if the weather is warm enough, but prefer the Spring. Provide plenty of fresh twigs for nest building.  Clutches usually of 3 to 6 eggs; incubation 20 days; can breed several times a year but it's better not to let a pair breed more than twice. The young may need to be removed from the parents as they may begin to pluck the young.

Additional Notes:

  A single lovebird will eat 1 1/2 to 2 ounces (45-60 grams) of feed daily. Lovebirds drink a lot of water, so will need fresh drinking water every day. Most lovebirds love a bath either in a flat earthenware dish or by spraying them with a light mist of lukewarm water. If you use a bathing dish, you will see the birds perch on the edge and dip their heads and upper bodies in the water and beating their wings. They prefer this kind of bath to getting into the water. Lovebirds generally maintain their nails and beaks on their own through climbing and chewing. Another good use they make of their tree branches.

 Lovebirds are very active birds, so a cage best suited to adequately house them must provide a lot of space. A minimum of 32 x 20 x 20 (81 x 50 x 50 cm) per pair of birds is recommended with about four perches, feed and water dishes and an area for a bath. When you use a small cage, you must let your pet out daily to fly around.
If you are housing pairs of lovebirds here are a few guidelines: Try to house only one species of lovebird as mixing species can cause serious fights. House either one pair of lovebirds or three pairs, never two pairs or there will be fighting. Each pair needs about 35 cubic feet of space.

A roomy indoor aviary, a bird room, or an outdoor aviary (depending on your area) are all good choices. The aviary needs plenty of light and fresh air. The outdoor aviary needs to have a protected shelter that can be heated and cooled where necessary. Flights are recommended to be a minimum of 6' x 6' x 3' (183 x 183 x 91 cm) with plenty of perches or branches at least 1 1/2" (15 cm) thick.  Lovebirds like special resting places. Nest boxes placed up high, all at the same level and all of the same type work well and help prevent fights. A nest box for a lovebird is 8" x 8" x 8" (20 x 20 x 20 cm) or 10" x 6" x 6" (25 x 15 x 15 cm).

The basic cage care includes daily cleaning of the water and food dishes. Weekly you should clean and disinfect the cage. Wash and completely dry the perches and toys whenever they become soiled. Sand floors should be renewed annually.

Lovebirds are very social birds. Generally is thought that it is essential for their good health and happiness that they be kept in pairs, not singly. If you have a single lovebird, you must provide the necessary social interaction that it is missing from another bird. These birds develop fierce loyalties to their keeper or their mate.
Aside from their social nature toward you or their mate, they can be extremely aggressive towards other birds. You must be certain that all pairs get along together, and that they are true "pairs", not mismatched. Bonded pairs constantly groom each other and will feed each other from the crop during breeding season and all year round.  These little birds will chatter all day long. They will hide in their nest box if they are startled by a sudden noise, if they spot a potential predator, or if it gets cold and windy.

To have a tame lovebird, choose a young single bird. Young birds have an amazing ability to learn tricks and be affectionate, whereas adults are very difficult to tame and generally won't learn a lot of tricks or imitate behaviors.
Taming involves acceptance and trust between you and your bird. It means spending a lot of time with your bird daily. Start with talking softly and making slow movements. Once your bird is comfortable with you, then you can begin hand-taming. Use a dowel and push it gently against the birds chest while offering a treat to coax it up onto the dowel. This may take many tries. Once it is comfortable with stepping up onto a dowel, substitute your finger for the dowel.  Lovebirds are not considered one of the best talkers, and only some may learn a few words.

Lovebirds awaken with the dawn, get a drink, eat, and then immediately begin to chirp. They will generally quiet down by mid-morning and resume their chirping in the late afternoon.
These birds are very active, flying and climbing about, gnawing on wood or chew toys, and grooming themselves many times all day. They love toys of all kinds such as seed bells, swings, ladders, mirrors, shiny objects, and wooden gnaws. A lovebird outside of it's cage will not stay on it's playpen, they like to explore. Be sure this room is safe with no open doors or windows, no toxic plants, no open water containers, and no hot stove.