Description Rosy-faced Lovebird
Among 15 and 18 cm in length and a weight between 43 and 63 g..
The Rosy-faced Lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis) has the upperparts green, except in the rump and uppertail-coverts they are bright blue. The tail is green, but the side feathers are black base, orange-red edges and subterminal band black. The flight feather They have black tips.
The underparts They are pale green from the bottom of the chest up to the undertail-coverts. The feathers of the tail and flight feather son negruzcas.
The head, the forecrown and the part behind eyes They are red, while the face, the chin, the throat and the top chest They are pink.
The bill It is white with greenish-gray tint. The eyes are dark brown, surrounded by a eye ring white. The legs are grey.
Both sexes are similar.
The youth They are duller with forecrown green tinged with red rose. The face is pale pink to the top chest. The bill It has a black base.
- Agapornis roseicollis catumbella (Hall,BP 1952) – Brighter colors, with the front of the crown a dark red and the cheeks Bright color.
- Agapornis roseicollis roseicollis (Vieillot, 1818) – The species nominal
Habitat Rosy-faced Lovebird
The Rosy-faced Lovebird frequents dry woodlands fields altitudes up to 1.500 m. Sub-desert steppes observed, wooded savannah with scattered forest cover, forest belts along rivers and farmland; often near standing water.
Usually, in flocks of 5 to 20 birds, although sometimes as many as several hundred may gather in areas where grass seeds ripen or near water sources.
They are very sociable and noisy, but also pretty tame. When resent, They fly to the nearest tree or vegetation, before returning quickly to the food source.
They used as roosts, nests Sociable Weaver (Philetairus socius) and the White-browed Sparrow-Weaver (Plocepasser mahali). Birds huddle in small groups in branches when the weather is rather cool.
Reproduction Rosy-faced Lovebird
The Rosy-faced Lovebird can pair off from two months of age. The male wait until the female accepts him before approaching. She adopts a "ruffled" position when she is ready.. The male It provides food, while balancing the head to get his attention. Also head scratching, especially around peak. When the male tries his approach, gently slides his hand. You can try out the other side if female It is shown aggressive.
The Rosy-faced Lovebird they are monogamous.
Nest in rock crevices, human constructions, bridges or communal nests Sociable Weaver (Philetairus socius) and the White-browed Sparrow-Weaver (Plocepasser mahali). The nest It is made of straw and branches, as well as some other materials such as pieces of bark, leaves and herbs, carried by the female rump feathers. The nest of the weavers carries no additional material added. The nests are communal.
The breeding season It has been recorded in the months Feb-Mar, April and October; most clutches seem to take place in the months of February-May.
The female lays 4-6 eggs. The incubation lasts a few 23 days, What does the female do alone?. It is fed by the male during this period.. The chicks are fed by regurgitation female, but it is the male who carries food. The period in the nest It is close to the 5-6 weeks, during which both parents feed the young. Flying around the age of 43 days.
Food Inseparable de Namibi
The Rosy-faced Lovebird they feed on, mainly, seed, sometimes taken directly from the soil, including grasses, Albizia and Acacia; usually they do visits to gardens to feed on sunflower seeds to cropland for him millet and the corn.
Sean is not considered a serious pest for crops because agriculture is scarce in the inhabited regions. They also eat flowers Albizia and other foliage plants, such as leaves of the genus Euphorbia. You can drink several times a day.
Size of the area of distribution (reproduction / resident): 774.000 km2
The Rosy-faced Lovebird They are endemic areas southwestern africa. In Angola, where the range of Rosy-faced Lovebird It is little known, The species is found in the region Sumba (perhaps further north) to the south, in parallel to the shore area through Namibia north of Cape, South Africa, extending from the east to the north. In Namibia to Lago Me, Botswana, although there are no recent records of the species there.
A sighting 1992 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, suggests little-known eastern limits or nomadic behavior.
The main population Rosy-faced Lovebird It is within 400 km of Atlantic coastline. Records in the ancient province of Transvaal They are considered leaks. There is a wild population in the sector Fish Hoek of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.
- Agapornis roseicollis catumbella (Hall,BP 1952) – Southwest Angola, with a population in the wild Kissama National Park Northwest of Angola.
- Agapornis roseicollis roseicollis (Vieillot, 1818) – The species nominal
Conservation Rosy-faced Lovebird
โข Current Red List of UICN: Least concern
โข Population trend: Decreasing
The size of the world population Rosy-faced Lovebird It has not been quantified, but the species is described as locally common or even abundant in the vicinity of areas where water is abundant.
However it is suspected that the population of the Rosy-faced Lovebird can be in decline due to unsustainable levels of exploitation.
There has been a historic decline due to the capture and export of thousands of birds from Angola, This has contributed, to a large extent, a significant reduction in the population Rosy-faced Lovebird in the south of that country.
The Rosy-faced Lovebird in captivity:
The small Rosy-faced Lovebird It is a brilliant bird, joyful, Robust and gregarious. It is one of the most common parrots in captivity, along with the Budgerigar and Cockatiel, because of its ease of maintenance and reproduction.
Birds are considered easy, ideal for people who want to start breeding small parrots. The Rosy-faced Lovebird They can live in a large aviary cage outdoors, including winter. But, they will need to have a frost shelter to shelter in when it gets too cold outside.
Son active birds they like to fly. If they have to live in a cage, this will have to be wide and longer than high (birds are not helicopters). Ideally, the bird should be able to leave its cage for a while in order to be able to fly greater distances..
Contrary to popular belief, the Lovebirds They can perfectly live without a partner. Why do sellers try to sell both?, It is a purely financial maneuver. One Lovebirds only, will not die.
Similarly, when we say that a Lovebirds He will die of sadness when you lose your partner, It is once again a commercial argument. The bird can pass through a period of mourning during which try to call your partner / yy shouts, even more so when the other members of the aviary belong to another species.
All parrots are aves gregarias and they depend on the group to survive. A widow bird accept another partner, previous adaptation before sharing the same cage. It is possible however, two birds never understand (which it is rare, with the Lovebirds).
To end this belief, the "couples" of Lovebirds They not necessarily have to be of the opposite sex. Homosexual couples are common among Lovebirds.
His behavior with birds of their own species is quite good or very good, It is not the same for their behavior with other species: the Rosy-faced Lovebird are restless and vengeful birds. Coexistence with other species is totally discouraged by the vast majority of poultry farmers: the peak of a lovebird can easily cut your finger or injure another bird, smaller and more peaceful.
In general, the Rosy-faced Lovebird they are birds, relatively, easy to educate, provided that taken from young. Son tame birds, loving, playful, sleepers, large pet birds. The bite related to its small peak is still very painful, especially in the soft fingers of children.
It is permissible to say that males are better pet birds than females. The breeding females are often within their hormonal period, making them very territorial. A sweet female domesticated before sexual maturity can be very aggressive to the point of not being manipulated when in hormonal period. Once again, this does not affect all birds, because there are always exceptions.
In general, to the Lovebirds, They are not considered good speakers.
Not recommended for people with incompatible squeals.
No sexual dimorphism in this species. The only way to know the sex of the bird is to carry out a DNA test using a blood or feather sample..
It is not known much about the longevity of the Rosy-faced Lovebird. according to some sources They can live up to 34.1 years in captivity, It is plausible, but it has not been confirmed. Age of sexual maturity of 2 months to almost a year.
Due to the depletion of stocks, in poultry in the early 20th century, It will be started hybridize with other species, but thanks to some breeders are you has been able to preserve in its pure State.
Mutations Agapornis roseicollis
Mutations.
There are over 500 mutations or combinations of different colored. Mutations in genes lead to changes in the pigments that give color pens, such as psittacin (red, yellow or orange) or eumelanin (black, brown) or variations on feather structure. They may be sex-linked recessive mutations (They depend on the sex of birds) or autosomal recessive and dominant (irrespective of gender). Among the sex-linked mutations have: ino (known the lutino. There have eumelanin), cinnamon (produce eumelanin brown instead of black), Balls (quantitative reduction of melanin 60 %) andopaline (red psittacine of the mask has spread from the back of the head, the rump is the same color as the body). Also shows some combinations as are the pallidino (Only males, -pallid gene on one X chromosome and ino gene on the other X chromosome) and canela-ino (It is given by crosslinking between cinnamon and ino on the same chromosome and can be male and female). In all these mutations, females never carry the mutation. Years ago, the cinnamon cinnamones were called Americans and Australians palids cinamones or Isabelas.
Consider several crossings (to better understand the sex-linked mutations):
- Crossing 1: Green x lutino male female = green and lutino male carrying female lutinas
- Crossing 2: Green male x female = green Lutina carriers lutino males and green females
- Crossing 3: Green male carrying female green x lutino = green and green lutino male carriers, Green and females lutinas
- Crossing 4: Green male carrying female lutino Lutina x = green and lutino male carriers lutinos, Green and females lutinas
- Crossing 5: Lutina x lutino male female = male and female lutinas
As autosomal recessive mutations have:
- aqua (reducing a yellow psittacine 50 %)
- turquoise (reducing a yellow psittacine 80-90 %)
- aquaturquesa (combination thereof)
- edged dilute (reduction of eumelanin 50 % in the body, in the center of the back and wing feathers eumelanin it is lower than in the edge, it seems that feathers are trimmed)
- dilute (reduction of eumelanin 80-90 %, having a green veil over the whole body)
- bronze fallow (It presents grayish brown eumelanin and red eyes)
- pale fallow (greyish brown eumelanin sparingly, light green eyes and red veil in the abdomen)
- recessive harlequin (reduction of eumelanin 95 %, smaller mask)
- orange face (psittacin mask and tail is orange rather than red)
In these mutations, both males and females can be carriers. To be transmitted, or both are carriers or join a carrier with a mutated. Years ago, to dilute edged was called golden cherry and if it was combined with aqua, aquaturquesa or turquoise, silver cherry o plata.
As we autosomal dominant mutations:
- dominant harlequin (reduction eumelanin and randomly scattered throughout the body)
- pale headed (psittacine of the mask and the tail is light orange pink. Hay SF,factor simple y DF, double factor, ie more or less mask dark)
- dark factor (a change occurs in the structure of the pen, in the spongy zone, so they look darker. There SF and DF, naming as a factor D and DD for two)
- purple (a change occurs in the structure of the pen, in the spongy zone. We have SF and DF. The ideal is to combine a dark factor)
As discussed above, both headed as pale as dark violet factor are dominant incomplete, so we say what the single and double factors. In these mutations is mutated or not is, no carriers and being transmitted need only one parent to the present.
Is a type of harlequin which it is transmitted to different recessive and dominant form, is the progressive harlequin or mottle. The harlequin is increasing as the bird will be more adult, as it is getting older.
The mutation bee does not exist in the A. roseicollis. We have the combination of turquoise with ino, if they go selecting, we can get a completely white bird with red eyes, what would look like albino.
Apart from all these mutations, There is a variety called Long Feathered, of larger size and colors sharper the ancestral. It was obtained through years of selection, according to some or emerged spontaneously in some aviary, according to others and from there they began to work with them. Something similar happened with mandarins (Poephila guttata), Giant calling mandarins. So the variety would call if they have achieved by selection and mutation if they have arisen spontaneously.
Once you view the different mutations must say that several cases can occur, that make possible the multiple existing color combinations. They may have a recessive mutation with a dominant (edged dilute violeta), two or more mutations at the same time (turquesa edged dilute violeta arlequin DD), and it can even happen to have two different mutations and make the other not appreciated (normal and lutino lutino D or DD are exactly the same visually).
Source: The bird aviary
– Rosy-faced Lovebird, Peach-faced Lovebird, Rosy faced Lovebird, Rosyfaced Lovebird (English).
– Insรฉparable rosegorge, Insรฉparable ร face rose, Insรฉparable roseicollis (French).
– Rosenkรถpfchen, Rosenpapagei (German).
– Inseparรกvel-de-faces-rosadas (Portuguese).
– Inseparable de Cuello Rojo, Inseparable de Namibia, Agapornis Roseicollis, Inseparable de Cara Melocotรณn (espaรฑol).
scientific classification:
– Order: Psittaciformes
– Family: Psittaculidae
– Genus: Lovebirds
– Scientific name: Agapornis roseicollis
– Citation: (Vieillot, 1818)
– Protonimo: Psittacus roseicollis
Images Rosy-faced Lovebird:
Videos "Rosy-faced Lovebird"
Species of the genus Agapornis
Rosy-faced Lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis)
Sources:
– Avibase
– Parrots of the World โ Forshaw Joseph M
– Parrots A Guide to the Parrots of the World – Tony Juniper & Mike Parr
– Birdlife
– Photos:
(1) – Peach-faced Lovebird in Namibia, Africa By Alastair Rae from London, United Kingdom (Rosy-faced Lovebird) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
(2) – Picture taken in the zoo of Wrocลaw (Poland) By Nicolas Guรฉrin (messages) (Own work) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
(3) – A pet chick By Toumoto๏ผhttp://opi.toumoto.net (Self-photographed) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
(4) – Rosy-faced Lovebirds at Etosha National Park, Namibia By Brian Taylor from U.S.A (Rosy-faced Lovebirds) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
(5) – Peach-faced Lovebirds (also known as the Rosy-faced Lovebird) eating seeds from a seed-block garden bird feeder in a garden in Scottsdale, Arizona, US By D. Patrick Lewis [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
(6) – Mutation in roseicollis : opaline double dark factor By Roseicollis (Own work) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
(7) – Turquoise mutation By Sergi Bio (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
(8) – Mutations in Agapornis roseicollis yellow machine-readable By No author provided. Ajit S.~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
(9) – Peach-faced Lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis). Pet on a perch. Shows blue rump feathers By Peter Bรฉkรฉsi (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
– Sounds: Andrew Spencer (Xeno-canto)
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