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Lovebird

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For other uses, see Lovebird (disambiguation).

Lovebird
A feral peach-faced lovebird eating seeds in Chicago
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittaculidae
Subfamily: Agapornithinae
Genus: Agapornis
Selby, 1836
Type species
Psittacus swindernianus (black-collared lovebird)
Kuhl, 1820
Species

Nine - see text

Lovebird is the common name for the genus Agapornis, a small group of parrots in the Old World parrot family Psittaculidae. Of the nine species in the genus, all are native to the African continent, with the grey-headed lovebird being native to the African island of Madagascar. Social and affectionate, the name comes from the parrots' strong, monogamous pair bonding and the long periods which paired birds spend sitting together. Lovebirds live in small flocks and eat fruit, vegetables, grasses, and seeds. Some species are kept as pets, and several coloured mutations have been selectively bred in aviculture. The average lifespan is 10 to 12 years.[1]

Description

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Masked lovebirds calling
Recording of the blue masked lovebird variety.
Problems playing this file? See media help.
Green- and blue-series peach-faced lovebirds:
two parents (left, center-right) with their two recently fledged chicks (center-left, right)

Lovebirds are 13–17 cm (5–7 in) in length, up to 24 cm in wingspan with 9 cm for a single wing and 40–60 g (1+1⁄2–2 oz) in weight. They are among the smallest parrots, characterised by a stocky build, a short blunt tail, and a relatively large, sharp beak. Wildtype lovebirds are mostly green with a variety of colours on their upper body, depending on the species. The Fischer's lovebird, black-cheeked lovebird, and the masked lovebird have a prominent white ring around their eyes. Many colour mutant varieties have been produced by selective breeding of the species that are popular in aviculture.

Taxonomy

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The genus Agapornis was described by the English naturalist Prideaux John Selby in 1836.[2] The name combines the Ancient Greek αγάπη agape meaning "love" and όρνις ornis meaning "bird".[3] The type species is the black-collared lovebird (Agapornis swindernianus).[4] The genus contains nine species of which five are monotypic and four are divided into subspecies. They are native to mainland Africa and the island of Madagascar. In the wild, the different species are separated geographically.[5]

Traditionally, lovebirds are divided into three groups:

  • the sexually dimorphic species: Madagascar, Abyssinian, and red-headed lovebird
  • the intermediate species: peach-faced lovebird
  • the white-eye-ringed species: masked, Fischer's, Lilian's, and black-cheeked lovebirds

However, this division is not fully supported by phylogenetic studies, as the species of the dimorphic group are not grouped together in a single clade.

Species

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Species and subspecies:[6]

Genus Agapornis – Selby, 1836[7] – nine species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Rosy-faced lovebird
or peach-faced lovebird

Agapornis roseicollis
(Vieillot, 1818)

Two subspecies
  • Agapornis roseicollis catumbella, B.P. Hall, 1952
  • Agapornis roseicollis roseicollis, (Vieillot 1818)
Southwest Africa
Map of range 		Size: 17–18 cm (6.5–7 in) long. Green and pink. Has blue rump feathers.

Habitat:

Diet: 		 LC 



Yellow-collared lovebird or masked lovebird

Agapornis personatus
Reichenow, 1887 		Northeast Tanzania
Map of range 		Size: 14 cm (5.5 in) long. Yellow and green. Has blue tail feathers.

Habitat:

Diet: 		 LC 


Fischer's lovebird

Agapornis fischeri
Reichenow, 1887 		South and southeast of Lake Victoria in northern Tanzania
Map of range 		Size: 14 cm (5.5 in) long. Mostly green, orange upper body and head, blue lower back and rump, red beak, white eyerings.

Habitat:

Diet: 		 NT 


Lilian's lovebird
or Nyasa lovebird

Agapornis lilianae
(Shelley, 1894) 		Malawi
Map of range 		Size: 13 cm (5 in) long. Mostly green including green back and green rump, orange head, red beak, white eyerings.

Habitat:

Diet: 		 NT 


Black-cheeked lovebird

Agapornis nigrigenis
W.L. Sclater, 1906 		Zambia
Map of range 		Size: 14 cm (5.5 in) long. Mostly green, brownish-black cheeks and throat, reddish-brown forehead and forecrown, orange upper chest, red beak, white eyerings.

Habitat:

Diet: 		 VU 


Grey-headed lovebird
or Madagascar lovebird

Agapornis canus
(Gmelin, 1788)

Two subspecies
  • Agapornis canus ablectaneus, Bangs, 1918
  • Agapornis canus canus, (Gmelin, 1788)
Madagascar Size: 13 cm (5 in) long. Mostly green with darker green on back, pale grey beak. Sexual dimorphism: male has a grey upper body, neck and head.

Habitat:

Diet: 		 LC 


Black-winged lovebird
or Abyssinian lovebird

Agapornis taranta
(Stanley, 1814) 		Southern Eritrea to southwestern Ethiopia Size: 16.5 cm (6.5 in) long. Mostly green, red beak, some black wing feathers. Sexual dimorphism: only the male has red on forehead and crown, female's plumage is all green.

Habitat:

Diet: 		 LC 


Red-headed lovebird
or red-faced lovebird

Agapornis pullarius
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Two subspecies
  • Agapornis pullarius pullarius, (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Agapornis pullarius ugandae, Neumann, 1908
Large part of central Africa Size: 15 cm (6 in) long. Mostly green with red on upper neck and face. Sexual dimorphism: the male has more extensive and a darker red on face and head, and the male has a darker red beak than the female.

Habitat:

Diet: 		 LC 


Black-collared lovebird
or Swindern's lovebird

Agapornis swindernianus
(Kuhl, 1820)

Three subspecies
  • Agapornis swindernianus emini, Neumann, 1908
  • Agapornis swindernianus swindernianus, (Kuhl, 1820)
  • Agapornis swindernianus zenkeri, Reichenow, 1895
Equatorial Africa
Map of range 		Size: 13.5 cm (5 in) long. Mostly green, brown collar which has a black upper margin at the back of the neck, dark grey/black beak.

Habitat:

Diet: 		 LC 


Long-legged lovebird


Agapornis longipes
Pavia, 2024 		Cradle of Humankind Size:

Habitat:

Diet: 		 EX 


Nesting

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Depending on the species of lovebird, the female will carry nesting material into the nest in various ways. The peach-faced lovebird, for example, tucks nesting material in the feathers of its rump.[8]

Feral populations

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See also: Hybrid lovebird
Hybrids (Fischer's lovebird × masked lovebird) in Nairobi, Kenya.

Feral populations of Fischer's lovebirds and masked lovebirds live in cities of East Africa. There are interspecific hybrids that exist between these two species. The hybrid has a reddish-brown head and orange on upper chest, but otherwise resembles the masked lovebird.[9]

There are two feral colonies present in the Pretoria region (Silver Lakes, Faerie Glen and Centurion) in South Africa. They probably originated from birds that escaped from aviaries. They consist mostly of masked, black cheeked, Fischer and hybrid birds and vary in colours. White (not albino) and yellow as well as blue occur in many cases. The white ringed eyes are very prominent.[10]

Diet and health

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A yellow-collared lovebird perching by the entrance to a nest box in a large aviary at the Honolulu Zoo, Hawaii, USA

Parrot species (including cockatiels) are biologically vegetarian species.[11]

Masked lovebirds calling
Recording of the blue masked lovebird variety.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Wild lovebirds may harbor diseases such as avian polyomavirus.[12]

References

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  1. ^ Alderton, David (2003). The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Caged and Aviary Birds. London, England: Hermes House. pp. 216–219. ISBN 1-84309-164-X.
  2. ^ Selby, Prideaux John (1836). The Natural History of Parrots. The Naturalist's Library. Volume 6. Edinburgh: W.H. Lizards. p. 118.
  3. ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 36. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  4. ^ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1937). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 3. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 254.
  5. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (2020). "Parrots, cockatoos". IOC World Bird List Version 10.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Zoological Nomenclature Resource: Psittaciformes (Version 9.004)". www.zoonomen.net. 2008-07-05.
  7. ^ Le Breton, Kenny (1992). Lovebirds...getting started. USA: T.F.H. Publications. pp. 84–98. ISBN 0-86622-411-4.
  8. ^ Mclachlan, G. R.; Liversidge, R. (1978). "330 Rosy-faced Lovebird". Roberts Birds of South Africa. illustrated by Lighton, N. C. K.; Newman, K.; Adams, J.; Gronvöld, H. (4th ed.). The Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund. p. 236.
  9. ^ Forshaw (2006). plate 45.
  10. ^ San Diego Zoo. "Fischer's Lovebird". San Diego Zoo. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  11. ^ Harcourt-Brown, Nigel H. (2016). "Psittacine Birds". In Samour, Jaime (ed.). Avian Medicine. Elsevier. p. 138. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  12. ^ Johne, R.; Müller, H. (1998). "Avian polyomavirus in wild birds: genome analysis of isolates from Falconiformes and Psittaciformes". Archives of Virology. 143 (8): 1501–1512. doi:10.1007/s007050050393.

Further reading

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