African Lovebirds They will breed in cages as mall as 1 ft.

x
1 ft. x 18 in. or in large flights. As wit!)
other pecies, it is probably best to offer
Genus Agapornis them a much room a you can. I u e 2 ft.
x 2 ft. x 3 ft. cages for all my lovebird .
by Kristine Kuchinski, DVM Madagascars may breed in regular

A
budgie type nestboxes or nest logs, but I
frican lovebird are a group of dimorphic (the sexes can be easily dis- have had best success with a tunnel nest-
delightful mall parrot which tinguished from one another). The male box. They seem to favor willow a ne;st-
belong to. the genu Agaporni . Ther ha a gray head and the femal i all ing material, but may u e palm frond or
are nine specie compri ing thi genu green. Thi is the mallest lovebird, aver- other materials as well. The female will
which are divided into primitive and aging around 30 gram body weight. In chew thes into mall C-shape piece
more advanced specie . The primitive the wild they are found in small flocks of which she will tuck into rufTIed feathers
species are tho e which taxonomist five to 30 bird at elevation up to 1500m. and cany back to the nest. They are pad
believe broke off the volutionary (5000 ft.). They feed on gras seed. In nesters and do not build elaborate ne ts.
branch earlier and are characterized by captivity they will eat mall eds such as The clutch size range from four to ix
lack of a white eyering and sexual di- tho e found in finch, canary or budgie mall elliptical white eggs. The female
morphism. These primitive pecie are ffilXe. The also should be offered a mix incubates and i usually joined by the
A. cana(Madagascar), A. taranta of chopped vegetables and fruits along male in the nest at night. Incubation usu-
(Abyssinian) and A. pullaria eRe d- with a mineral block. The soft foods are ally lasts about 23 day. everal sources
faced). especially important when babie are in state the young emerge from the nest in
the nest. plumage resembling the female. In cap-
Madagascar Lovebird Theyare olitary ne ters and it may be tivity, the sex of the young has been evi-
Agapornis cana best to allow them their own cag or dent with the first feathers on the head.
The Madagascar Lovebird is th only flight for breeding. In the wild they are Male are gray and females green, ju t as
lovebird found on the i land of Mada- reported to breed in Noveluber and De- in the adult.
ga car and icon idered the mo t primi- cember but eem to breed year round in Young fledge at approxilnately 43
tiveoftheAgapornisgenu .Iti exually captivity, even when kept outdoor. day . This may differ for handfed babi
which may wean quickly. The parents
frequently feather pick the young if they
are not pulled for handrearing.
The Madaga car i a qUIet and attrac-
ti e lovebird. It i be t to s parate the
young into pairs or small groups a th y
frequently become aggressive at four to
six months of age and may kill cage
mates when in crowded situation . This
may occur a they are trying to pair off.
Even when handfed, Maddie have lim-
ited pet potential a luOSt must be han-
dled very frequently to retain their tame-
ness.

Abyssinian Lovebird
Agapornis taranta
The Abyssinian Lovebird is found at
higher elevations than the others (5,000 -
10,000 ft.). It is frequently seen in the tops
of junipers and is reported to feed on the
berrie . It is a large lovebird, averaging
50 grams. It is al 0 called the Black-
winged lovebird as the males have black
feather on the underside of their wings.
This i also true ofmale Madagascar and
Red-faced lovebird , though. Sexes are
easily identified as male Abyssinians
have a red forehead and the females are
all green.
Diets most frequently fed are small
hookbill mixes together with a vegetable
The Masked Lovehird Agaporni. per. onata is almost as com1non in aviculture as the and fruit mix. A mineral block should be
popular Peach-:faced Lovebird. It builds elaborate nests and has several color 1nutations. offered. Many feel it is important to
4 July/August 1995
 breeding success to offer free choice breeding last year in a nest log in a heav-
1995 COMMITTEES
sunflower seeds as well. ily planted flight. Others have tried filling
AVIAN RESEARCH In the wild they are solitary nesters nestboxes with cork for the birds to tun-
William Sager, D.v.M. (508) 486-3101
and should be given their own breeding nel into. It seems that tunneling may be
AFA IN BRIEF (monthly newsletter) set up. They may breed in regular budgie an important aspect to stimulating suc-
Cheryl Jones (509) 226-0611
fax (509) 326-6725 nestboxes, but many breeders have had cessful breeding. Others have used heat-
AVYAWARDS best success with the tunnel type nest- ing sources to maintain a constant warm
Dale Thompson (805) 252-4871 box. A small portion of spaghnum moss temperature in the nest. More work is
CAPTIVE BREEDING SURVEY is soaked in water and after the excess needed to master this species.
Starr Kirkchoff (616) 327-3399 water is squeezed out placed into the
CITES bottom of the nestbox. The female car-
AI McNabney (510) 945-1785 Black-collared Lovebird
ries little to no nesting material into the Agapornis swinderniana
CONSERVATION (Red Siskin) box and will probably throw out any-
Kevin Gorman (716) 865-6414 Also known as Swinderen's Lovebird,
thing you place in it as well. They are pad this is the most elusive lovebird and no
CONSERVATION SMALL GRANTS
Joanne Abramson (707) 964-4380 nesters and most will build a small nest known specimens are in captivity. It lives
CONVENTION COORDINATOR with only a few feathers. The female in a more heavily wooded and lush area
Mary Perry (801 )582-6445 tends to vocalize loudly during copula- than other lovebirds and may be difficult
fax (801)486-0757 tion and may alert you to any mating ac- to trap as it may remain in the treetops,
COOPERATIVE BREEDING PGM tivity. Clutches average two to four eggs.
Sharon Garsee (916) 784·1314 rarely coming lower. There are a few in
Incubation lasts about 25 days and the museum collections. The few times it has
DRAWING COORDINATOR
Cathy Ford (805) 684-0752
young fledge at about 50 days. The been captured it has proven difficult to
young are colored as the female until the keep alive in captivity. It seems to have
EDUCATION AND MEDIA SERVICES
Bob Smith (517) 764-4170 molt. Some males may have a few red unusual dietary needs and has only ac-
ETHICS periorbital feathers at this stage, though. cepted figs.
Larry Ring (916) 885-7868 Abyssinians tend to be quiet and are
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR attractive. They make wonderful pets
Robert J. Berry (713) 434-8076 when handfed and may be capable of Peach-faced Lovebird
fax (713) 433-3731
mimicking some whistles. Agapornis roseicollis
FINANCE This is probably the best known spe-
Jim Hawley bus (602) 838-4770
res (602) 987-9206 cies in the genus and comes in an endless
fax (602) 987·3389 Red-faced Lovebird variety of color mutations. It inhabits
FUND RAISING Agapornis pullaria grassy scrub land in Africa and is mono-
Tom Marshall (703) 777·32~2 The Red-faced is the last of the primi- morphic (sexes are not easily distin-
ILLEGAL BIRD TRADE .tive species and is probably the least guished). Sexing is commonly done by
Marty Muschinske (619) 468-3201 commonly bred lovebird in aviculture. examining pelvic bone width, but many
LEGAL COUNSEL They have the most extensive range of factors may affect this and so it is not
Gary Lilienthal (617) 345-0770
any of the lovebirds. The male has a 100% accurate. They have no eyering.
LEGISLATION brighter red head than the female and
Dwight Greenberg (407) 631-9800
The diet consists ofseeds, leaves, ber-
fax (407) 632-4338 has black on the underside of his wings. ries and buds in the wild. They readily
Janet Lilienthal (617) 345-0770 They have a peculiar habit of hanging accept a diet ofsmall hookbill mix, vege-
MEMBERSHIP upside down as hanging parrots do. It is table and fruit, and mineral block.
Paddy Lambert (314) 926-8186
thought that lovebirds are related more They are colony nesters in the wild
NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS closely to hanging parrots than other and have been found taking over the
Jeri Wright (206) 838-9802
psittacines. This habit may have devel- nests of weavers. They are willing to ac-
PARLIAMENTARIAN
Gary Clifton (602) 830-4920 oped as a security device, allowing the cept budgie boxes and ifbred in a colony
PUBLIC RELATIONS birds to sleep hanging at the ends of there should be more boxes than pairs in
Cheryle Jones (509) 226-0611 branches hiding in the leaves. It is a the flight to avoid fighting over nesting
fax (509) 326-6725 smaller lovebird, averaging 37 grams. space. The female will build a nest using
PUBLICATIONS The birds readily accept a diet of nesting material such as palm fronds.
Sheldon Dingle ph/fax (213) 223-7449
Dale R. Thompson (805) 252-4871 smaller seed similar to the Madagascar's The material is chewed into long narrow
fax (805) 252·5861 diet and relish the vegetable and fruit mix strips and then tucked into ruffled rump
M. Jean Hessler (714) 548-3133
fax (714) 548-0420
offered. A mineral block should be of- feathers and carried back into the nest.
PHOENIX BUSINESS OFFICE
fered. Males may chew up the nesting material,
Carol Inderrieden (602) 484-0931 Red-faced are solitary nesters in the but do not carry it back into the nest.
fax (602) 484-0109 wild, but there are reports of breeding Clutch size ranges from three to seven. If
WATCHBIRD STAFF activity in a colony situation in captivity. one repeatedly gets large (>8 eggs)
Dale Thompson/Editor· (805) 252-4871
in Chief fax (805) 252-5861 They nest in termite mounds in the wild clutches ofinfertile eggs, the pair may be
Sheldon Dingle/Managing and some think the activity in the termite two hens. Incubation lasts 23 days and
Editor ph/fax (213) 223·7449
M. Jean Hessler/Art (714) 548-3133 mound may lend extra heat to the nest. the young fledge at about 43 days. Some
Director, Production fax (714) 548-0420 Aviculturists have struggled to meet the color mutations may be identified by the
Sharon Rosenblatt (703) 255-3399
Advertising fax (703) 281-3140 nesting requirements for the Red-faced color of the chick's first down.
or Phoenix Office without consistent success. However, Peach-faced Lovebirds can be quite
San Diego Wild Animal Park reported noisy, but make excellent pets when
6 July/August 1995
handfed or pulled from the nest shortly
after weaning. They may be kept singly,
as pairs, or in groups. They also are ex-
cellent beginner birds for those inter- Corporate Members
ested in breeding birds. Grasslands Exotic Finches Nekton USA, Clearwater, FL
Hagen Inc., RolfC" Canada Sun Seed Company, Bowling Green, OH
Masked Lovebird UM Animal Farms, Pleasant Plain, OH Sunshine Bird Supplies, Miami, FL
Agapornis personata LuvThem Birds, Miami, FL White Bear Products, Indianapolis, IN
The masked lovebirds have white ey- Lyon ElectricCompany, ChulaVista, CA Zoogen,lnc., Davis, CA
erings and are monomorphic. There are
four birds which are considered to be
subspecies, depending on which tax-
onomistyouarereferringto. The four are
the MaskedA.p.per.mnata, Fischer A.p. Commercial Members
fischeri, Nyassaland A.p.lilianae and the Aardvark Imports, SantaMonica, CA Jer Birds, Inc., Ocean Grove, NJ
Black-cheekedA.p. nigrigenis. The sub- Adsit Mobile Veterinary Clinic, Schenectady, NY Jewels on Wings, Elko, NV
species idea is suppOlted by the finding Alan P. Friedman, Gahanna, OH Jungle Enterprise, Homestead, FL
of Masked and Fischer's hybridizing in American Bird Center, Goulds, FL JungleGinny's,Andover, NJ
the wild. There are also color mutations American Bird Company, Falls Church, VA Kaytee Products, Inc., Chilton, WI
established among these species in And Feathers Bird Studio, Chicago, IL Kookaburra Pets, Carrolton, TX
aviculture. Animal Crackers, Greendale, WI L'Avian Plus Pet Products, Stephen, MN
The Masked and Fischer have blue Animal Environments, Carlsbad, CA LGLAnimal Care Products, Inc., Bryan, TX
rump feathers while the Black-cheeked Avian Kingdom Supply, Inc., Dallas, TX Lima's Exotic Birds, Woodland Hills, CA
and Nyasa have no blue rump feathers at Avian Resources, San Dimas, CA Loriidae Production Network, Woodlake, CA
all. The presence of blue in the rumps of AVID Marketing Inc., Norco CA Magnolia Bird Farm, Anaheim, CA
the latter two indicate hybridization. Avitech, Inc., Frazier Park, CA MandyWagnerDavidson, Roatan Island, Honduras
They all are found in grasslands and are Banish, Theresa, Pinole, CA MaxSharpe, Plant City, FL
coiony breeders. They have similar die- Bell M.D., Inc., WalterW., Oklahoma Midwest Homes For Pets, Muncie, IN
tary requirements as the Peach-faced. Bird Country, Lewistown, MT Mountain LakeAviary, Brooksville, FL
Reproductively they are similar to the Bird Depot, Inc., Hallandale, FL KKMuser
Peach-faced as well and can be set up in Bird Gardens, Naples, FL Nest BoxAviary, Miami, FL
the same manner. They tend to build Bird House, Grand Haven, MI OhioAssociation ofAnimal Owners, Pleasant,OH
more elaborate nests which may even Bird's Haven, Inc., Elmhurst, IL "P" Patch, The, Benton, MS
become dome-shaped with a tunnel Bird-on-a-Stick, Merrillville, IN ParrotJungle &Gardens, Miami, FL
leading to a nest chamber. Clutch size Birdland Breeding Farm, Elkhart, IN Pet Metro, Irvine, CA
C& FParrot Farm, Corpus Christi, TX Picture Perfect Parrot, Cleveland, OH
ranges from three to six eggs, and incu-
C&JParrot Pals, Phoenix, AI. PleasantValley Animal Hospital, Quakertown, PA
bation lasts about 22 days.
Cage Bi rd Hobbyist, Miami, FL Precious HeartsAviary
Cedar Hill Aviary, Northbranch, NY Premium Nutritional Products-ZuPreem,
Medical problems Citrus ParkAnimal Hospital, Tampa, FL Topeka,KS
Some of the common medical prob- Cock-a-Doodle Too, Richmond, VA R.B. Exotic Birds, Thousand Oaks, CA
lems seen in lovebirds include trauma Corners Ltd., Inc., Kalamazoo, MI Rain Forest Exotics, Inc., Conroe, TX
from other lovebirds, egg binding, eye Country Critters, Ltd., Medford, NY Rain Forest Exotics, Soquel, CA
problems, feather picking, and viral dis- Creative Bird Accessories, Darien, CT SantaBarbara Bird Farm, Santa Barbara, CA
eases. Lovebirds frequently cannibalize Dean Parrot Farm, Dripping Springs, TX Scarlet Orchard Aviaries, Otis Orchards, WA
dead birds in the areas ofthe head so ex- Di Vinci Ltd., Las Vegas, NV Schults Bird Farm, Langhome, PA
amine dead found to determine if it was Earthrise Bright &Healthy, Tollhouse, CA Swan Creek Supply--Grumbach Incubators,
really trauma inflicted by another bird or Eden's Nestbox, Eden, MD Saginaw,MI
other causes that led to its demise. Mada- Exotic Birds, Graham TX Swelland's Cage &Supply Co., Ramona, CA
gascar Lovebirds are particularly prone F.M. Brown's Sons, Inc., Sinking Spring, PA Terl's Pets, Corpus Christy, TX
to air sac mites which may be treated "Farm, The", Medford, OR Terra Ferguson, Asheboro, NC
with invermectin. Should you have or Feathering Heights, Scotts Valley, CA The Bird Shop, Sacramento, CA
Featherwood Farms, Phoenix,AI. Torrey's Parrot Place, Spokane, WA
suspect any problems in your lovebirds,
First Flight, Belleville, IL Tropical Paradise, Fountain Inn, SC
seek the advice ofan avian veterinarian.
Greenfield Bird Farm, Solvang, CA Ulrich, RichardA., Clearwater, FL
Two excellent references on love- GregoryAlan Rich, DVM, Metairie, LA Urban Bird, NewYork, NY
birds for the experienced or novice Hand-raised Exotics, West Hurley, NY VictorO'Calderin, Coral Gables, FL
aviculturist are: Henry's Aviary, Sequin, TX Waterloo Wings Stained Glass, Chelsea, MI
Dilger, W.e., 1960. The comparative etholof!..Y of Hookbill Haven, Mohawk, NY Waylyn Enterprises, Onyx, CA
the african parrot j;enus Agapornis, Zeit- JamaNI, Inc., Lee's Summit, MO Wildwood Seed &Specialties, Monroe, OR
schrift fur Tierpsychologie. 17, p. 649-6H5. James Knapp Aviary, Taylor, MI Yvonne's Swings andThings, Rochester, NY
Dorrestein. G.M. and M.H. van del' Hage, 1987. JDP Enterprises Inc., CooperCanyon, TX Zeigler Bros. Inc., Gardners, PA
Aviculture and veterinary prohlems in love-
hirds, Proc. of Assoc. of Avian Vet., p. 243-
261. +-
afa W ATCHBIRD 7