Red-headed lovebird


The red-headed lovebird also known as the red-faced lovebird is a member of the genus Agapornis, a group commonly known as lovebirds. Like other lovebirds it is native to Africa.

Description

The red-headed lovebird is a 15 cm long, mostly green parrot. It has a well demarcated red area on its head extending from the top of the beak, over the forehead to mid-crown, and extending to the left and right up to the eyelid margins. It has grey feet. The underside of the wings is a lighter green. The female has orange head colouring, which is less well demarcated than the male's red head. The adult male has a red beak while the female's is a paler red.

Distribution and habitat

It has a patchy distribution across the African tropical rainforest.

Breeding

It makes its nest in a termites nest usually in a tree or sometimes on the ground. To make a nest the female digs a tunnel up to a length of in the termites nest in a colony with other lovebirds.

Aviculture

It is difficult to breed in captivity because it has to burrow to make its nest and the nest chamber needs to be heated to about ; however, they can be induced to burrow into cork to build a nest. It is a very nervous species.