Species name: Agapornis personata personata
Appearance:   The wild-type masked lovebirds have a green body and a blackish brown head and crown that fades to a brownish olive throat and a yellow bib. There is some blue on the tail coverts, the tail is green, and the beak is red. They have a naked white eye ring and gray legs.

 

Origin: Tanzania, southeast of Lake Victoria; closer to the coast than Fisher's lovebirds. Geography includes inland plateaus, grasslands, and woodlands where baobab trees and acacias are abundant.

 Diet: Will eat seed from the ground; considered pests by farmers because they often raid crops, particularly crops of millet and corn.

 Sexual dimorphism: No obvious visual differences between sexes
 Breeding: Colony breeders; build nests in the hollows of trees or in holes in buildings. Elaborate nest is built with an internal chamber. Nesting material is carried by hen in her beak. Lay five to six eggs; incubation last 23 days; babies fledge in 44 days.
The masked lovebird is a strikingly beautiful bird that can make an extremely tame and affectionate pet when hand-fed. Some parent-raised babies can be tamed if handled early on. Occasionally, the inexperienced will mistake a black-cheecked lovebird for a masked lovebird. Distinguishing between them is important so they are not in advertently bred together. A general guideline to distinguish these two species is to note the color of the crown of the head. Masked have a full brownish black mask that covers the top of the head; pure black-cheeked lovebirds do not have the dark color on the crown of the head, hence the reasoning behind their common name.

Next >