African Love Birds - Species, Feeding

A Lovebird is one of nine species of the genus Agapornis (Greek: αγάπη agape 'love'; όρνις ornis 'bird'). They are a social and affectionate small parrot. Seven species are native to the African continent, and the Grey-headed Lovebird is native to Madagascar.

Species

Species (wild-types)
Common and binomial names	Photograph	Description[3]	Range
Yellow-collared lovebird or masked lovebird (Agapornis personatus)		14 cm (5.5 in) long. Yellow and green. Has blue tail feathers.	Northeast Tanzania
Fischer's lovebird (Agapornis fischeri)		14 cm (5.5 in) long. Mostly green, orange upper body and head, blue lower back and rump, red beak, white eyerings	South and southeast of Lake Victoria in northern Tanzania
Lilian's lovebird or Nyasa lovebird (Agapornis lilianae)		13 cm (5 in) long. Mostly green including green back and green rump, orange head, red beak, white eyerings	Malawi
Black-cheeked lovebird (Agapornis nigrigenis)		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	Zambia
Peach-faced lovebird or rosy-faced lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis)		15 cm (6 in) long. Mostly green, orange face, blue lower back and rump, horn-coloured beak	Namibia, South Africa, Angola
Black-winged lovebird or Abyssinian lovebird (Agapornis taranta)		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, females plumage is all green	southern Eritrea to southwestern Ethiopia
Red-headed lovebird or red-faced lovebird (Agapornis pullarius)		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	Large part of central Africa
Grey-headed lovebird or Madagascar lovebird (Agapornis canus)		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.	Madagascar
Black-collared lovebird or Swindern's lovebird (Agapornis swindernianus)		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	Equatorial Africa

Feeding

As a guideline, most lovebirds can be maintained on 1 - 1.5 level measure tablespoons of seeds per bird, per day in a shallow dish depending on the size of the bird. If there is more than one lovebird in the cage, separate dishes should be used for each bird to ensure those birds at the bottom of the pecking order have a chance to eat. This may not be possible in a flock situation. Any seeds left over in the dish at the end of the day could suggest that too many seeds were offered originally.

Pelleted Diets
Pellets have been developed to meet all your bird's nutritional needs. Different formulations are available for different life stages and for the management of certain diseases. Mature lovebirds are particularly troublesome to convert to a pelleted diet. Hand raised babies are the easiest to start on a pelleted diet. Pellets are the ideal diet, therefore you are encouraged to slowly wean seed eating birds onto a pelleted diet. Pellets should ideally represent approximately 75-80% of the bird's diet. There are many good brands of pelleted foods in the market place. Pellets come in different flavors, colors and shapes.