by Erik Van Tongerloo

Created on: March 30, 2007   Last Updated: May 21, 2007

The lovebird is a bird which belongs to the parrot family and the scientific name of the Genus is Agapornis. These parrots are very sociable and they like a lot of affection. Is "lovebird" not a nice name for these beautiful parrots?

There are 9 different species of lovebirds and 8 from them come from Africa; only one originates from Madagascar: the Agapornus canus.

A summary of the different species are :
- Agapornus roseicollis
- Agapornus personata
- Agapornis fischeri
- Agapornis lilianae
- Agapornis nigrigenis
- Agapornis canus
- Agapornis taranta
- Agapornis pullarius
- Agapornis swinderniana

Lovebirds are different compared with other parrots because most of the parrots can easily talk and lovebirds rarely talk.
Lovebirds are also one of the smallest kinds of parrots; their size is about 13 and 17cm and their weight is only between 40 or 60 grams. Is it not adorable to have such bird as pet?
Most of the lovebirds live between 10 and 15 years.

Love birds like to make fun; you can compare them with little clowns. They can play for hours with some toys, dancing on your shoulders but you need to be careful that they don't bite in your clothes.
If you want to buy a lovebird, it's very important to understand they don't like to be alone and it's preferable for you to buy two at the same time. This way, they can play together and keep each other company. Your lovebird will be happier and so will you.

There are different colors of lovebirds but green is the most popular one. It is important that the size of the cage for your parrot is large enough. They are little birds, but they enjoy playing with toys and need adequate space to do that. If they can't move enough they will show very soon some behavioral problems and you need to avoid this. They love also to take a bath every day and they like the sun in order to dry off after taking a bath. Don't you find that these birds are very clean pets?

What concerns the food they need a variation of fruits, seeds and vegetables. This will keep your bird healthy. It is not different compared with other animals; a variation of intake of the necessary vitamins is always necessary. Of course a lot of water is also necessary; be sure that your lovebird can always drink when he needs it.

Lovebirds also make a lot of noise; you need to know that if you are considering buying one. It could annoy you otherwise. Although that is part of their character, and most people love to hear the different birds chatting and singing when they wake up in the mornings.

A little warning -Lovebirds can also be vicious. When you decide to keep these beautiful birds, you need to put two layers of wire a half inch apart between the cages. This will prevent the lovebirds chewing the feet off the birds in the adjoining cages, as they land on the adjoining wire.

If you get a young bird then start taming him onto your hand, from the beginning. You can spend many hours of enjoyment with him.

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