Home  Species and Variety
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Lovebird Species and Varieties
Although there are nine species of lovebird, only a few are available enough to be common as pets. A review ( African Lovebird Societies) said, there are eight generally recognized lovebird species, most of which have separate geographical races or domestic mutations (color varieties). These are the peachfaced, masked, and Fischer's lovebirds. You will sometimes see black-cheecked lovebirds or Abyssinian lovebirds as pets, but not nearly as often. The most popular pet species have a life span that can vary dramatically depending on their diet, care, and general environtment. The average life span is 10 to 15 years, but I have heard from owners who have lovebirds well into their 20s.
In terms of availability for breeding purposes, peachfaced, masked, and fischer's are readily available. Black-cheecked and Abyssinian lovebirds can be found, but they will be more expensive and not as easy to locate. Nyasa and Madagascar lovebirds are very difficult to find in both the United States and Europe. Because of their dwindling numbers in aviculture, the breeding of these birds should be left to more experienced breeders. Red-faced lovebirds are extremely difficult to find both in the United States and Europe.
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Peachfaced Lovebirds
( 1 Article )
 Agapornis Pullaria (Linnaeus) 1758
Synonym: Orange-headed Lovebird
Now fairly scarce in collections this species was formerly imported in large numbers. In its native habitat it has a wide distribution, ranging from northern Angola and the Gold Coast in the west,eastwards to southwest Ethiopia and the region of Lake Victoria. It mainly inhabits sparsely treed grassland, occurring in small groups of about 20 individuals. Occasionally it reaches plague proportions and may congregate in flocks of 1000 or more, when it becomes a serious agricultural pest and is often culled in large numbers by anxious farmers. The birds are 13 - 15cm (5-6 in) in length and they generally feed on seeding grasses near to ground level; they are extremely alert and will speedily depart at the faintest hint of danger.
 The red-faced is a little more delicate than most of the other species, and newly imported species, and newly imported specimens must be acclimatized with the greatest of care. It is a relatively quiet and peaceful bird and may be kept in colonies with less trouble than one would expect from the more aggresive species. However, its breeding habits are rather different from those of other species and it is classed as a "difficult" captive breeder. In its natural habitat, it normally nests in burrows in termite mounds and, in captivity, it will rarely use a standard lovebird nestbox. However, Arthur Prestwich, the first British breeder of this species, had repeated successes during the mid-1950s, when he provided the birds with barrels laid on their sides and rammed with peat, into which the hends excavated a nest chamber. They are being bred in Europe in increasing numbers and, starting in 1974, Herr Blome of Germany bred and reared numerous individuals over a five-year period. He attributed his successes to the provision of heating pads within the nest chambers, which maintained a temperature of 30C (86F) after the chicks had hatched. Red-faced parents are of a nervous disposition and are slow to return to their nests after being disturbed, so the chicks are prone to chills. On hatching, the chicks have a fine, light-reddish down and they fledge at about seven weeks of age. A varied diet should be offered to the adult birds, especially in the breeding season. When rearing chicks, this species will take large numbers of mealworms.
The only documented color variety of this species is, at present, a lutino form, where the green plumage is replaced by yellow. Individuls of this mutation are being bred on the European continent, but can still be considered in relatively short supply.
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The Eye-Ring Species
( 4 Articles )
 Although these species dwell in close geographic proximity in the wild, they remain genetically distinct from one another. The natural barriers in Africa, such as jungles, mountains, and lakes, have kept them separate so that hybridization does not happen in their natural setting. This group of lovebirds includes the masked, Fischer's, Nyasa, and black-cheecked species. They are called the eye-ring species because of a pronounced white periophthalmic ring around the eyes. These birds are not sexually dimorphic, meaning distinguishing the sexes simply by visual apperance is generally not easy. The behavior of these four species is somewhat similiar. All collect nesting material with the beak rathr than tucking it into the feathers the way peachfaced and other lovebird species do. Most of the eye-ring species are threatened in their natural habitat, particularly the blackcheeked and Nyasa lovebirds. For this reason, maintaining pure species lines and not inbreeding the different eye-ring species of lovebirds is essensial, Notes on the Eye-Ring Lovebirds. In fact, finding pure blackcheeked and Nyasa lovebirds can be difficult. Some attempts have been made, particularly in Germany, to establish pure lines of these birds. In Belgium, top breeders have begun to maintain studbooks for Nyasa lovebirds in an attempt to maintain the purest lines possible.
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The Non Eye-Ring Species
( 4 Articles )
 This diverse group of lovebirds is sometimes called the primitive group. They have developed differently from the other species already described. The Madagascar is quite different due to its geographic isolation on the island of Madagascar. The red-faced lovebird has unusual nesting habits that have made it a difficult species to estabish in aviculture.
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