Lovebird Species
There are nine lovebird species all in all, all of which are of the genus Agapornis. Of the nine spies, eight came from Africa and one from the Madagascar Island. From these nine, three are common species while five are categorized as rare varieties or completely unknown in aviculture.
The common African lovebirds include the FischerÃs lovebird or Agapornis fischeri; the peachfaced lovebird or Agapornis roseicollis and the masked lovebird or Agapornis personata. Alternatively, the rare species are made up of Madagascar lovebird or Agapornis cana; Nyasa lovebird or Agapornis lilianae; Abyssinian lovebird or Agapornis taranta; black-cheeked lovebird or Agapornis nigrigenis; black-collared lovebird or Agapornis Swindernia and the red-faced lovebird or Agapornis Pullaria.
The Fischer’s lovebird, one of the common lovebird species, is colorful and was named after a German explorer named Gustav Fischer. They were initially discovered in late 1800s and were first bred in the United States. They are best identified for their green chest, back and wings as well as their blue rump. They are natives of northern Tanzania and east-central Africa. Generally, they live among secluded clumps of trees which have grass plains in between. They have the capability to fly fast and straight.
By far, the peachfaced lovebird is the most common and popular of the lovebird species. They are also the most common in captivity. They are typically noisy and active more than the other eight species. So, when you own one, be careful in choosing an ideal cage for them so make sure that they are safe. The peachfaced can breed freely. Of the African lovebirds, they are the biggest, at around 50 to 60 grams in weight. They are effervescent lovebirds with inquisitive behavior. The third of the common lovebird species is the masked lovebird. They are best identified with their green masked in their face for the wild ones and the blue mask, also known as cobalt.
Now, the rare species include the Madagascar lovebirds or the Maddies. As the name suggests, these species came from the island of Madagascar, different from the other eight which all originated from the African continent. Of the lovebird species, they are the smallest and weigh a mere only 30 to 35 grams. They are anxious and delicate birds and appear to be more like finches rather hook bills. They have small beaks and prefer canary and finch seeds more than sunflower and safflower seed mixes.
Then, there are the Nyasa lovebirds which are usually in green in color. They also have numerous mutations like the blue Nyasa and the lutino. Meanwhile, the Abyssinian lovebirds are not typically seen as pets. The black-cheeked lovebird species can include the blue assortment and the black-collared lovebird species which are very timid and are not capable of breeding well in captivity.
