There are nine species of lovebirds, and all belong to the genus Agap*rnis, though only a few are typically available as pets; namely the peach-faced, masked and Fischer’s lovebirds. Lovebirds are so named because of their strong pair bonds. Lovebirds range in size from just over 5 inches to just over 6½ inches, which makes them among the smaller parrot species. Lovebirds have short, blunt tail feathers, unlike budgies (“parakeets”), which have long pointed tails, and lovebirds are also stockier.
Did you catch the fact that lovebirds are parrots? Yes, although they are small parrots, they are still parrots. They belong to the order Psittaciformes, which includes all the parrots. They have a hooked bill and zygodactyl feet (two toes point forward and two point backward).
Lovebird species can be divided into those with prominent white eye rings —the masked, or yellow-collared (A. personatus), the Fischer’s (A. fischeri), the black-cheeked (A. nigrigenis) and the Nyasa, or Lilian’s (A. lilianae) —and those without an eye ring —peach-faced, or rosy-faced (A.roseicollis), black-winged, or Abyssinian, (A.taranta), red-headed, or red-faced, (A. pullarius), Madagascar, or grey-headed, (A. canus) and the black-collared, or Swindern’s, (A. swindernianus)lovebird. Some lovebird species come in many color mutations, which are produced by selective breeding to bring out certain color traits.
In the wild, lovebirds live in small flocks and eat fruit, vegetables, grasses as well as seed. The Abyssinian, or black-winged lovebird, has a specialized diet that includes native figs, which is why they are so rare in captivity.
