African Lovebird

The African lovebird got its name from the place where it was originally discovered, Africa and Madagascar, naming it called as such. In existence, there are nine different species of the African lovebirds. They are small but simply beautiful. They were able to catch the attention of man during the mid-nineteenth century and have since been captivated both in reality and imagination.

Generally, the African lovebird is this plump bundle of amazing colors along with tiny rounded tails. These birds are highly sociable by nature and are naturally noisy in which noise symbolizes contentment for them. They are intelligent and are better off by pairs. They do not typically live by colonies as they are likely to fight with each other when they do not obtain enough room for themselves.

As mentioned earlier, the African lovebird has nine species. The common species include the popular peachfaced lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis), the masked lovebird (Agapornis personata) and the Fischer’s lovebird (Agapornis fischeri) while the rare species comprise the black-cheeked lovebird (Agapornis nigrigenis), the nyasa lovebird (Agapornis lilianae), the Abyssinian lovebird (Agapornis taranta), the Madagascar lovebird (Agapornis cana), the black-collared lovebird (Agapornis Swinderia) and the red-faced lovebird (Agapornis Pullaria).

It is the peachfaced lovebird which seems to be the most common in captivity and popular of the species of the African lovebird. They are usually aggressive and noisy than the other eight species, thus an owner needs to be careful when providing them with a cage. They breed freely and are ideal for beginner and skilled breeders. They are the biggest species of the African lovebirds, weighing around 50 to 60 grams. Beautiful display of colors is shown by common peachfaced lovebirds.

These species of the African lovebird are vivacious with curious personalities. Meanwhile, the masked lovebird with the green mask is known as the wild type and the blue masked are sometimes referred to as cobalt. The third of the common species is the Fischerís lovebird which can come in green and blue colors. When it comes to the rare ones, the Nyasa lovebird is typically identified in green along with the lutino and the blue Nyasa. On the other hand, the black-cheeked lovebird includes the blue variety.

Of the nine species of the African lovebird, the Madagascar lovebird is the sole specie which does not originate from the African continent. They are also called as Maddies and are the smallest of the African lovebirds, weighing only 30 to 35 grams. They are delicate and anxious. They have small beaks and usually prefer canary and finch seeds over safflower and sunflower mixes. The Abyssinians are not usually seen as pet while the black-collared specie is known to be very timid and do not breed well in confinement.