Red-headed lovebird

Red-headed lovebird
Male (foreground) and female
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Psittaciformes
Family:	Psittaculidae
Genus:	Agapornis
Species:	A. pullarius
Binomial name
Agapornis pullarius (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Psittacus pullarius Linnaeus, 1758

The red-headed lovebird (Agapornis pullarius) 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 (6 inches) 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.^[2]

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 30 cm (12 in) in the termites nest in a colony with other lovebirds.^[2]

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 27 °C (81 °F); however, they can be induced to burrow into cork to build a nest. It is a very nervous species.^[2]

References[]

External links[]

• "Species factsheet: Agapornis pullarius". BirdLife International (2008). Retrieved 9 July 2008.
• Pullaria.info