Last Updated on by Mitch Rezman
A common myth about lovebirds is that they must be kept in pairs. This isn’t true, but if you do keep lovebirds in pairs, it’s best to keep two males together. Female lovebirds are highly territorial.
Lovebirds are called because of their monogamous pair bonding. Paired Lovebirds will sit beside each other for hours on end. In the wild, Lovebirds live in small flocks. They will typically live from 10 to 15 years
Because Lovebirds like to bond they can have long and strong relationships with humans. They’re snugglers and may even preen you. They’re not good talkers but can have a loud voice for a little bird. Lovebirds lake to bathe and sun themselves.
Lovebirds like different foods like pellets, recommended, fruits (sweetcorn, apple, pomegranate, strawberries, etc.), and vegetables (broccoli, carrot, mustard seed, watercress, squash, etc.) and seed (a mix of 14 varieties is recommended, plus wild seeding grasses, sesame seed, etc.).
These colorful small birds are inquisitive, playful, active and smart They range in size from 5 – 6 inches in length and from about 40 to 60 grams in weight. They love to chew (with precision) and will hang when playing with toys. They can be vocal especially early in the morning
Lovebird’s beaks are keratin, which means their beaks never stop growing. It’s important for them to chew wood & shreddable toys keeping beaks trim. Cuttlebones help provides beak-trimming too.
They like tunnels, lots of perches and enjoy swings. They’re very social birds, so remember, you are their flock and they expect you to engage them on a regular basis.
A common myth about lovebirds is that they must be kept in pairs. This isn’t true, but if you do keep lovebirds in pairs, it’s best to keep two males together. Female lovebirds are highly territorial.
Lovebirds are native to the African continent while the Gray-headed lovebird also known as the Madagascar lovebird comes from of all places, Madagascar.
Lovebirds are known for their strong monogamous relationships and spend a lot of time being together wing to wing.
They are capable of having close relationships with people in addition to their chosen companion.
They like to snuggle with people and quite often they will train their humans.
You’re really better off spending short periods throughout the day with your lovebird rather than just one or two longer interactions, the way you would with a larger parrot. Lovebirds can be noisy but are not necessarily good talkers.
Lovebirds have been around as pets in the US since the early 20th century.
Most Lovebirds are easy to keep as caged birds with the exception of the Lillian’s Lovebird and the Black Collared lovebird.
The Black Collared requires a certain type of fig so we don’t see a lot of those here in the US. Lovebirds are anywhere from 13 cm to 17 cm in length – about 5 inches – and weigh from 40 to 60 g (a little less than 2 ounces).
The average lifespan of lovebirds is from 10 to 15 years.
Madagascar, Abyssinian and Redhead lovebirds are sexually dimorphic.
Peach-faced lovebirds are considered an intermediate species. Masked, Fishers and Lillian’s (not seeing a lot in captivity because of difficulty in raising them) and Black Cheeked lovebirds are considered the white-eye-ring species. Sometimes by watching how Lovebirds shred paper, it’s possible to determine their sex.
Boy lovebirds will make confetti when shredding newspaper, girl lovebirds will make strips and stuff them under their wings (this only works for mature lovebirds & is not very scientific but fairly accurate)
Peach face lovebirds also known as Rosy face lovebirds probably have the most mutations including Lutino, Pied Green, Aqua Turquoise and Orange-face.
If lovebirds of different species mate they will produce a sterile hybrid offspring displaying the traits of both mom and dad.
It’s recommended to place lovebirds of the same species or the same sex together for this reason.
Lovebird’s beaks are made of keratin which means their beaks grow continuously.
It’s important to keep lots of toys available so they can chew as well as cuttlebones which help provide beak trimming and are a source of minerals. They require large cages or aviaries and play with the toys while hanging from the side of the cage which is important to keep in mind for proper bird toy placement. Although they are smaller birds we recommend a larger cage or aviary to keep them happy.
Lovebirds are territorial and dominant by nature and don’t necessarily socialize well with other species including cats dogs other birds.
They can be aggressive towards other birds and should not be housed with other species of birds in the same bird cage.
fischer’s lovebird display
