Lovebirds
Small African parrots that pair strongly, which is where the name comes from. Some species tuck strips of nest material into their rump feathers to carry it.
Overview
Lovebirds are small African parrots, about 15 cm and 55 g, from the dry country of Namibia, Angola and northwestern South Africa. They live 15 to 25 years in captivity, which is a long time for a bird that fits in a hand.
The name comes from the pair bond, and the bond is real: pairs form fast, sometimes as early as two months old, and bonded birds sit pressed together and preen each other for much of the day.
Temperament
Bold, busy and considerably tougher than their size or their name suggests. Lovebirds are scrappy with other birds and will take on species much larger than themselves, so a mixed aviary usually ends badly for something.
A single hand raised lovebird bonds to a person and can be an excellent companion. A bonded pair bonds to each other and largely ignores people, which is not a fault, but it is a choice made at purchase rather than later. They rarely talk, and when they do it is not clear.
Care and grooming
A pellet base with vegetables and a small seed mix. In the wild they eat seeds from Albizia and Acacia plus flowers, so a diet weighted toward small seeds and greens sits closer to natural than a large parrot mix would.
One behaviour is worth watching for and is charming when you know what it is. A female preparing to nest cuts strips of bark to uniform size and carries them to the nest site tucked into the feathers of her rump. A lovebird shredding paper and stuffing it into her tail is nesting, not playing.
Living and exercise
30 by 18 by 24 inches for a pair, with plenty to chew, because they chew constantly and destructively.
They are loud for the size, shrill rather than deep, and the call is a repeated high note that carries further than seems reasonable for a 55 g bird. They fly well and hard, and a lovebird given daily flight time is a healthier bird than one that only climbs.
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