Kinds Of Lovebirds

The different kinds of lovebirds make the most adorable pets. Not only are they pretty to look at, these birds are very affectionate to owners and to each other. Endemic to South America and Africa, the distribution of these different kinds of lovebirds soon became worldwide. Some lovebirds resemble parrots in coloration, while others have unusual striking colors such as pink, red and yellow.

There are several ways of classifying the different kinds of lovebirds, and the most common one is the traditional way. There are three kinds of lovebirds according to this classification, including the species that show sexual dimorphism, the intermediate species and the species with white eye rings. Examples of sexually dimorphic species are the lovebirds from Madagascar, Abyssinian lovebird and the red-headed ones. The peach-faced lovebird is considered an intermediate species. The masked lovebird, Fischer’s, Lilians and the Black Cheeks are considered among the species with white eye rings.

But this classification is not reliable, and so serious lovebird owners and researchers rely on phylogenetic means to classify the different kinds of lovebirds.

Under the phylogenetic classification, the peach-faced lovebirds, or Agapornis roseicollis, are the same species as the ones called Rosy-faced lovebirds. There are subspecies of this species, including catumbella and roseicollis. Lovebirds with yellow collars are the same species as the masked lovebirds, Agapornis personatus. Fischer’s Lovebird belong to species Agapornis fischeri, while Lilian’s Lovebird belongs to Agapornis lilianae. Black-cheeked Lovebirds, on the other hand, belong to Agapornis nigrigenis.

The Madagascar lovebird is also called the grey-headed Lovebird, Agapornis canus. This species has several subspecies, ablectaneus and canus. The Abyssinian lovebiard is also called the black-winged lovebird, under the species Agapornis taranta. The red-headed lovebird is distinguished as a member of the species Agapornis pullarius, which as two subspecies pullarius and ugandae.

Among the different kinds of lovebirds, the black-collared lovebird, Agapornis swindernianus, is very famous. The Swindern’s Lovebird has several subspecies, emini, swindernianus and zenkeri.

Hybrid lovebirds are special kinds of lovebirds because they are usually born in the wild. These are those that form between wild populations of Fischer’s lovebirds and masked lovebird. These can be found in Nairobi, Kenya. The resulting hybridization is startling at first because these parent lovebirds belong to different species. Hybrid populations of feral lovebirds have reddish-brown head and orange colors on the upper part of the chest. They resemble the masked lovebird more than the Fischer’s.

When keeping lovebirds, you should prepare a large cage, approximately a meter tall, and a meter wide. This is because the different kinds of lovebirds have to fly and play in order to keep themselves occupied. The most common cause of lovebird death is loneliness and boredom. When a lovebird is partner-less for a long time, he will refuse to eat and will eventually waste away. Purchasing wooden and plastic toys is very important for keepers of lovebirds. These birds need to keep their beaks trim because the keratin in them keeps developing. By chewing and snipping on toys, they release stress and they can keep their beaks in good shape.