Lovebird
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. Black-winged lovebirds also eat insects and figs, and black-collared lovebirds have a special dietary requirement for native figs, making them difficult to keep in captivity.
Some species are kept as pets, and several coloured mutations have been selectively bred in aviculture. The average lifespan is 20 to 30 years.[1]
Lovebirds are 13 to 17 cm (5 to 7 in) in length, up to 24 cm in wingspan with 9 cm for a single wing and 40 to 60 g (1+1⁄2 to 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.
The genus Agapornis was introduced 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]
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.
