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Peach-faced Lovebird

Agapornis roseicollis · Psittaculidae

Small, spectacular, and utterly intolerant of anything sharing its flight.

Native range: South-west Africa

Length
15–18 cm
Weight
46–63 g
Lifespan
10–15 years
Maturity
10–12 months
Incubation
23 days
Clutch
4–6 eggs
Ring size
4.5 mm
Fledge
42–45 days
Weaned
7–8 weeks
CITES
Appendix NC
IUCN
LC
Taxonomic family
Psittaculidae
Peach-faced Lovebird

Diet

A small-parrot pellet with sunflower strictly limited, plus greens and sprouted seed. Lovebirds hoard and waste; feed to appetite rather than filling a dish.

Housing

150 × 70 × 100 cm per pair, single-species. Bar spacing 12–14 mm.

Temperament

Bold and aggressive toward other species. They mutilate the toes and beaks of smaller birds and will kill a budgie over a nest hole. Do not mix.

Breeding

Reliable breeders that carry nesting material in their rump feathers, so provide palm fronds or willow strips. Hens build substantial nests inside the box.

Established mutations

Lutino (sex-linked)
Cinnamon (sex-linked)
Dutch blue / turquoise (recessive)
Orange-faced (recessive)
Pied (dominant)

Watch for

–Aggression toward cage-mates, particularly at nest sites
–Toe and beak mutilation in mixed flights
–Obesity on sunflower-heavy diets
–Feather plucking in under-stimulated pairs

The colour genetics are among the most complex in aviculture because several loci interact. Work one locus at a time.

Sources

Run a pairing for this species Work out hatch dates Check the ring size

All twelve at a glance

SpeciesIncubationRingClutchLifespan
CockatielNymphicus hollandicus 19 d 5.5 mm 4–6 15–25 years
BudgerigarMelopsittacus undulatus 18 d 4.0 mm 4–6 6–12 years
Peach-faced LovebirdAgapornis roseicollis 23 d 4.5 mm 4–6 10–15 years
Green-cheeked ConurePyrrhura molinae 24 d 5.5 mm 4–6 20–30 years
Indian RingneckPsittacula krameri 23 d 7.0 mm 3–5 25–35 years
Gouldian FinchChloebia gouldiae 14 d Not recorded 4–8 5–8 years
Quaker / Monk ParakeetMyiopsitta monachus 24 d 6.0 mm 4–6 20–30 years
Bourke's ParakeetNeopsephotus bourkii 18 d 4.0 mm 3–6 10–15 years
EclectusEclectus roratus 28 d Not recorded 2 30–50 years
Sun ConureAratinga solstitialis 25 d 7.0 mm 3–5 20–30 years
African GreyPsittacus erithacus 28 d 11.0 mm 2–4 40–60 years
Blue & Gold MacawAra ararauna 27 d 14.0 mm 2–3 50–70 years

All 94 species, with the dates scheduled against your own birds.

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