rosy faced lovebird
Binomial Name: Agapornis Roseicollis
Rosy-faced lovebird (Peach-faced lovebird or rosy collared lovebird). They belong to the second group that is the Lovebirds that inhabit mainly the desert of southwest Africa, especially in the Namib Desert and there are two species of them – A.r.catumbella and A.r.roseicollis.
In general, these lovebirds are bigger than other lovebird types; each lovebird is about 17 or 18 cm long. They have very unique features that include a red coloured face or chest, blue rump as well as green body. They have a reputation as great lovers of baths and are social creatures. Nonetheless, they are very vocal and can be quite a pain to own as household pets.
Fischer’s lovebird
Binomial Name: Agapornis Fischer
The Fischer’s Lovebird (Agapornis fischer), as it is commonly referred to, is named after the renowned German explorer, Gustav Fischer. They are endemic to southern and southeastern parts of Lake Victoria in Tanzania, Africa. The lovebirds of Fischer are known for their colorfully dressed appearance.
The plumage features that characterize the adult Fischer’s Lovebird are unique and striking. The most common kind has the green backs and chests that eventually turn to orange. Their transition is through a yellow neck and olive green crown on the top of their heads. Blue rums, bulky red beaks among their adorning characteristics. They have an approximate length of about 14cm.
Although Fischer’s Lovebirds display limited sexual dimorphism, one cannot easily tell male and female based upon their anatomical appearance alone. Nonetheless, certain views point out that whereas for the males females might keep legs at a bit apart because of their broader pubis.
Sexual dimorphism is relatively low in Fischer’s Lovebirds, resulting in poor visual differentiation of males and females by physique alone. Though some observations indicate that the female may also sit slightly wider because of the wider base of supporting structures of the pelvis in female individuals than male counterparts.
These lovebirds are very sweet looking and come in various colors, and they are always highly sought-after pets. Nevertheless, Fischer’s Lovebird is rarely bred commercially within states of USA. This might, perhaps, affect the accessibility and conservation of this species’ popularity as pets.
masked lovebird
Binomial Name: Agapornis Personatus
Agapornis personatus, also called Yellow collared Lovebird or Masked Lovebird, is a rare species of lovebird that has distinctive look. They are known as black due to a mask like feature across their face and are easy to spot for their size.
The black mask around the eyes is a characteristic common among most Masked lovebirds. This specie often appears in the yellow collared lover breed with a bright yellow collar going downward on its chest. That said, other color morphs and variable collar colors exist. Also, the beak is red and sometimes the underside of these birds can be much light color than the back. For example, in a white-blue variation of the morph, the traditional colors are substituted by white, dark blue and cyan, and the black mask stays the same.
Masked Lovebirds are of medium size and hardly exceed 15cm long. These species mainly inhabit similar locations from Fischer’s Lovebird’s distribution, in northern and north-west Tanzania.
One important feature of Masked Lovebirds is that there is little sexual dimorphism in them and therefore one cannot easily identify a male from a female just by looking at them. In addition, these birds may indulge into affectionate actions between them and their same-sex mates, rendering it tough to ascertain the sexuality just by the conduct.
black collard lovebird
Binomial Name: Agapornis Swindernianus
Swindern’s lovebird (Agapornis swindernianus) is a species of lovebird that has uniquely green plumage with a narrow black neck ring. Swindern’s Lovebird is a species named after its conspicuous collar.
In the case of Swindern’s lovebirds, the two sexes share the same body attributes with no notable differences between them. This creates uniformity with respect to out appearance which makes it hard to tell the difference in gender by just looking at someone.
Such lovebirds can mostly be identified in the Equatorial rain forests of Africa such as Congo-Kinshasa, Congo-Brazzaville, Cameroon and central African republic among other African countries like Liberia, Uganda and ivory coast. These animals live in thick woodland vegetation.
Swindern’s Lovebirds have an average length at about 13.5 cm, approximately 5.3 inches.
Although most species of lovebirds may be kept as pets at times, Swindern’s Lovebird is not common among the pet trade. Their specialized dietary requirements are one reason why they have not proven popular as common pets. Their main food is figs and it’s hard to match with a prepared feast. Their dietary preference as well as limited range and special habitat demands make them less popular in the pet trade.
black winged lovebird
Binomial Name: Agapornis Taranta
The black winged lovebird (Agapornis taranta) is also known as the Agapornis taranta lovebird and is defined by its unique black feathers covering its under wings. It is this trait that explains why they bear this name, and what discriminates them from the other species of lovebirds.
The male Black winged Lovebird has a striking red patch on its forehead that is absent in female birds of this species. Although all red beaks are common for both males and females, there is an additional fact that the male’s beak is usually brighter and darker than of a female. In addition to these sexual characteristics, both females and males of the black winged lovebirds have mostly green plumages with a very little pale hue on the tail, which is the only place where there are yellow pinions. This also means that both sexes have a thin ring of red feathers surrounding the eyes.
The black winged lovebirds are mainly in Eritrea and Ethiopia in East Africa. The lovebirds are not that popular in the pet trade and the occurrence of these pets is less than their counterparts.
The black winged lovebirds are quite large compared to other types of love birds where their average length is close to 17 cm which translates to approximately 6.7 inches. Besides being large in their respective categories and having special wing colorations as well as distinctive crimson spots, they are quite a remarkable species of the lovebirds in their kind.
Lilian’s lovebird
Binomial Name: Agapornis Lilianae
The Lilian’s lovebird or as it is also called the Nyasa Lovebird is a species with unique features and smaller size. They are amongst the smallest species of the Agapornis genus and barely reach 12 cm (about 5 inches).
Lilian’s Lovebirds show a color scheme like Fischer’s Lovebird as well as that of Rosy-faced Lovebird. Orange heads and neck transition into green plumages appear on their backs and breasts. Nevertheless, a notable difference between Lilian’s Lovebird and Fischer’s Lovebird is that it has a green rump while the latter has a blue rump. Besides, Lilian’s Lovebird is characterized with prominent white circles around the eyes as these are missing on the Rosy-faced Lovebird.
Therefore, these lovebirds are very rare and endemic. The species occurs mostly in the Liwonde national park in Malawi thereby rendering it as nearly indigenous to that place. This limited scope is responsible for limiting their popularity as pets, as well as the low numbers of wild individuals available for purchase.
Although in the pet trade, they are rarely encountered because the birds are hard to breed in an enclosed setting. Captive breeding of these birds has proven to be more challenging hence making them less popular in aviculture compared to other lovebirds. Thus, it is necessary to conserve them for the purpose of preserving their habitats and wild populations.
black cheeked lovebird
Binomial Name: Agapornis Nigrigenis
The Black cheeked Lovebird (Agapornis nigrigenis) is one of the lovebirds that experience major challenges, mainly because of a habitat destruction. The destruction of their natural habitat has made this species one of the most threatened species of lovebirds. Scattered pockets of habitation occur around the border regions of Namibia, Zambia and Botswana for black checked lovebirds.
These lovebirds are not huge, their size being around 14 cm or 5.5 inches in length. They are marked by unique plumage characteristics and they are greenish in front and at their backs. It has a dark orange-brown head with black checks and neck connected to its green chest through a small orange patch. Lovebirds also bear obvious white circles on their eye’s perimeter helping them stand out.
Although the Black cheeked Lovebird are easy to breed in captivity, they are not common pets. Ironically, this was a situation where initially there have been heavy imports of this species for the pet trade. Nevertheless, these imports were responsible for a decrease in the number of their natural populations, as a consequence, imports of Black cheeked Lovebirds are less common today.
Because of vulnerable state and small range, conservation is highly necessary for this species of Black-cheeked lovebird. The remaining habitats should be protected, while breeding efforts must be directed towards preservation in captivity.
red faced lovebird
Binomial Name: Agapornis Pullarius
The Red-headed Lovebird (Agapornis pullarius) is a name derived from its unique red head features. Besides being called lovebirds, they are also commonly known as Red-headed Lovebirds resulting from the red markings on the front parts of their faces.
Red headed Lovebirds are quite tiny with a body size of about 15cm or 5.9 inches. These birds have mostly green plumages and the only exception to the uniformity appears in their bright red facial parts. The males and the females show similarities in that they both possess the red facial patches and also have the red beaks; however, some of their features are quite distinct. The male red patches and beak coloration are brighter and bolder compared to the female ones which tend to be smaller and not distinctly bounded as well as the pale beak.
Among all the lovebird species, this particular species has one of the largest ranges. Their area of origin is central Africa. It extends from the Sierra Leone in the east through Malawi to the chad on the north up to the Kenya/Angola in the southern parts. This has made them be able to survive in various habitats and to spread widely within this region.
They are popular among bird lovers because of their colourful plumage and lively nature but not so widely kept as pets like other species of lovebirds. The existence of the species also implies conservation measures to protect for their natural habitat, population.
gray headed lovebird
Binomial Name: Agapornis Cana
One unique aspect that differentiates agapornis cana from other lovebirds is its unique place of origin. Specifically, agapornis cana is the only breeding ground for lovebirds on the island of Madagascar and not continental Africa. These lovebirds are sometimes called Madagascar Lovebirds because of their specialized habitats.
Of all the lovebirds, grey-headed lovebirds are among the smallest. They measure only 13cm or approximately 5inches in size. This species exhibits common color pattern which comprises the black back and yellow underside in both sexes. It is named ‘Grey-headed’ because of the appearance of its male bird. This bird has a lightly coloured grey head and an upper chest. For females, both heads and heads are lightly coloured.
The grey-headed lovebirds are very secretive in their natural habitats hence not good pets for people. They are also very shy to mate in captivity and this makes them not widespread as household pets.
Lovebirds in their natural habitat take various types of foods such as grass seeds, fruits, vegetables, and bugs at times. It is imperative for pet grey-headed lovebirds with different species to offer proper diet. They must also have enough room to fly and one cubic meter of free water area per bird for showering.
As companions, Grey-headed Lovebirds need to develop a close association with the owner. The interaction with these lovebirds should be soft and consistent in nature because territorial nature of these birds makes them prone to aggressiveness if not properly socialized. Their beaks continually grow so providing chew toys made out of wood or cuttlebone becomes essential.
This species is well-known for its vocal nature and lovebird calls that can give information about their emotions. However, when these chicks grow up they can be very interesting companion if they have been nurtured correctly; they may willingly rest upon finger or a shoulder of their owner and take part in preening activities.