Abyssinian Lovebirds aka Black-winged Lovebirds
If you are starting out with lovebirds, I would also recommend visiting the following webpages:
- Lovebird General Information
- Lovebirds as Pets
- Keeping Your Pet Happy & Healthy
- Breeding Lovebirds
- Lovebird Diseases (Diseases & conditions lovebirds are susceptible to)
- Lovebird Species
- Lovebird Photo Gallery
- Lovebird Books
The Abyssinian Lovebirds are renowned to be one of the most difficult lovebird species to breed and are rarely available on the market, hence they are more expensive than other lovebird species.
Description:
Cock:- Plumage is mainly green, with a bright red forehead, which extends into a narrow ring around the eyes.
- The flight feathers are sooty black and there is a black bar on the tail.
- The beak is red, the legs and feet are gray.
Hen:
- The hen is green all over, darker on the back lacking the red and black markings of the cock.
Breeding:
Abyssinians prefer to breed during the colder season and it is best to isolate them from other birds.
Parakeet boxes have been successfully used that measure 4 x 4 x 4 inches, with the entrance hole being in the upper center of the box. Preferred nesting material is dried grass (hay). It is recommended to microwave any dried grasses / hay for a couple of minutes to kill any disease pathogens.
Box inspections should be performed when the pair is nesting; and the hay should be changed if the nesting box is too messy. Breeder's discretion is recommended.
The hen averages 4 eggs per clutch, which she incubates for 28 days. The babies sport a white down when they hatch and have tannish colored beaks, which turn red as they aproach the first molt. The chicks' eyes may not open until they are 3 weeks old.
The chicks fledge at about 7 1/2 weeks. Should handfeeding or supplementing feeding be necessary, Kaytee Handfeeding formula for macaws is perfectly suitable and readily accepted by the chicks.
- For more information on breeding lovebirds, please click here.
Diet:
In addition to feeding the regular lovebird / cockatiel seed mix, provide additional sunflower seeds and fresh figs when in season or Calimyrna figs.
Training and Behavioral Guidance:
The Abyssinian lovebird is said to be a quieter and more intelligent than other lovebird species. It really is important to learn to understand them and to guide their behavior before an undesirable behavior has been established. There are few things to consider ...
- Biting: If not properly socialized, however, they will discover their beaks as method of "disciplining us".
- Noise: Lovebirds are very vocal birds, making loud, high-pitched noises that can be a nuisance. They make noise all day, but especially at certain times of day, although this species is said to be less vocal.
- Chewing: As stated above, lovebirds are also very active, and love to chew things. When they are let out of their cage, it would be wise to watch them carefully, and protect any furniture, electrical wiring or anything else that they could possibly chew on. They are not big chewers - as their prefered medium is "paper."
- Paper: They love to tear up paper -- especially when they are in the "mating" spirit -- which is all-year-round for birds kept indoors (not exposed to the seasons). I have learned not to keep important papers laying around - and even use it as a way to keep my lovebird busy.
Training and behavioral guidance is recommended ...
- AvianWeb Resources: I put together web resources for you to help you understand your pet bird and properly direct him. Please visit this website for valuable tips on parrot behavior and training. If you found a way to resolve a "parrot behavioral issue" please share it with others.
- If you are, as I am, a visual learner and prefer step-by-step instructions to train your pet, I recommend:
- the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
- Stop Biting
- Perform Tricks &
- Tame ANY SIZE bird you could possibly own
- and/or try the "Teach Your Parrot to Talk" Training Course. (Note: lovebirds rarely learn to talk, but there is a chance they may learn to mimic human speech if taught to at a young age.)
- the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
If you are considering a conure as a pet, the following web resources might be of interest:
- Procuring your Parrot
- Breeders:
- Breeder Listing by State / Country. Do you breed this species and would like to be listed? Click here to see your options.
- Housing & Caring for Your Conure: Conures love to climb and play and need to be provided with a cage that allows them to move around freely and toys to entertain themselves with. Please refer to the following websites for information:
Taxonomy:
Species: Scientific: Agapornis taranta ... English: Abyssinian Lovebird, Black-winged Lovebird ... Dutch: Zwartvleugelagapornis, Abessijnse Agapornis ... German: Taranta Unzertrennlicher, Tarantinerpapagei ... French: Inséparable à ailes noir
Distribution: Central and Eastern Ethiopia and southern Eritrea at high altitudes
Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots ... Black-winged Lovebird Mutation: Olive Green
If you would like to add to or correct any of the above information, or would like to share with the AvianWeb visitors your own experiences, please e-mail the AvianWeb Webmaster.
Photo contributions and articles are welcome!
