Lovebirds

07/06/06

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Lovebirds are pint-sized bundles of joy. They have the full personality of parrots while being easy to house because of their size. The playful and very inquisitive nature plus the small size make them a very ideal pet especially when they have been hand raised. The species commonly called Lovebirds scientifically called Agapornis comprise of a very diverse and colorful group of parrots from Africa. Lovebirds have been kept as pets for over 100 years. The lovebird is a short, thick-bodied parrot and is about 5 to 6 inches long from head to tail. A lovebird has a relatively large beak for it's size and the basic color of the species is green.

Why call them lovebirds, they were named lovebirds because if kept in pairs the lovebirds will constantly groom each other and sit as close together as possible when sleeping or resting. Many people believe lovebirds must be kept in pairs. This is not true. A single lovebird makes a better pet because it bonds to you rather than to another lovebird. If you plan on spending lots of time with your bird you can keep it alone. However, if you work long hours and don't think you'll have a lot of time for your love bird, we recommend you get him a companion. This will keep your lovebirds happy and prevent boredom. It is important to realize that while lovebirds are a small parrot, they have the intelligence and abilities of some of the largest parrots.

Opalines

Opalines were first officially recognized in the US in 1997. A breeder in the Midwest had a pair of peachface that were producing what she called Roseheads. It was brought to the attention of the African Lovebird Society. The breeder sold out and several well known members of ALBS aquired these birds to start breeding programs to reproduce the Opalines.

Today several breeders are working on producing many color mutations of the Opaline. Personally my favorites are the green series. They are striking with the vivid orange head against the green or yellow body. The birds also have beautiful scalloping effect in the covert feathers. The tail feathers are different than the normal peachface and is a good indicator of a true Opaline.

My goal is to focus on the green series Opalines to increase the size and produce outstanding greens, pieds and lutinos for showing.

Longfeathers

More commonly known in Europe as the Standard Roseicollis, would compare to the exhibition budgerigars. (English Budgie) Longfeathers are sturdier, larger and more clearly colored than the original normal wild caught Peachface. These birds have become a separate species, through years of selective breeding.

There has been a lot of controversy about the origin of the Longfeathers. They have been accepted in Europe, but in the US they are still not viewed with the respect and admiration they deserve. Rumors abound as to their true origin, from hybrids to administration of hormones to beef up the size of these gorgeous birds. With time as with the Exhibition Budgie, they will become more accepted.

My goal is to work on breeding and showing these beautiful Lovebirds, with hopes that others will do the same to preserve the Longfeather in the US.