The name Lovebird stems from these birds' affectionate nature. Lovebirds form very close bonds with their mates, usually lasting a lifetime. This is reflected by the birds name in other languages: in German, "die Unzertrennlichen," and in French "les inséparables"- "inseparables." For this reason, many people feel strongly that lovebirds in captivity should be kept only in pairs. Others believe that lovebirds, like other parrots, are social animals who can bond with human companions when given a great deal of care and attention.
Lovebirds are about 13-17 cm in size, 40-60 grams in weight and characterized by a small, stocky build and a short, cute, blunt tail. This puts them among the smallest parrots in the world although their beak is rather large for their overall size. Many lovebirds are green, although color mutations can feature many different colors. Some lovebird species, like Fischer's, black cheeked, and the yellow collared lovebird, have a white ring around the eye. Lifespan is 10 to 15 years.
Species and habits
Eight of the different species come from the mainland of Africa. The ninth species, Agapornis canus, originates from Madagascar. In the wild the different species are separated geographically. Lovebirds live in small flocks and eat mainly fruit, vegetables, some grasses and seed. Black-winged lovebirds also enjoy figs.
Only some of the lovebird species are sexually dimorphic. This includes the Abyssinian lovebird, the Madagascar lovebird, and the black-collared lovebird.
There are a total of 9 different species:
- Peach-faced Lovebird, Agapornis roseicollis
- Masked Lovebird, Agapornis personata
- Fischer's Lovebird, Agapornis fischeri
- Nyasa Lovebird, Agapornis lilianae
- Black-cheeked Lovebird, Agapornis nigrigeni
- Madagascar Lovebird, Agapornis canus
- Abyssinian Lovebird, Agapornis taranta
- Red-faced Lovebird, Agapornis pullarius
- Black-collared Lovebird, Agapornis swinderniana