Love Birds

Love birds are cousins to the parrot. But, they are usually smaller than the parrot and more stocky. and, like parrots, they have a great, natural talent for mimicking the human voice - which makes them fun to be around. And, because of their smaller size, they make much better apartment or house pets than parrots.

Love birds are also visually exciting. They come in many different colors and are usually very energetic. Many believe, probably because of their name, that love birds have to be kept in pairs. But that's not true at all.

They do require a lot of attention, however - either from you or from a companion bird. So if you know that you won't be able give your love bird much of your own personal attention, it is probably best to get a mate for him or her. A love bird will bond to whoever gives them the personal attention. So be aware, that if you do buy love birds in pairs, they will probably bond to each other rather than to you. This is especially true when buying baby love birds.

Love Bird Species

Love birds are one of nine species of the genus Agapornis. The home of most of the love bird species is Africa and are considered African love birds.

There is the Red-Faced Lovebird or Agapornis pullaria, the Abyssinian Lovebird or Agapornis taranta, Swindern's Lovebird or Agapornis swinderniana, Peach-faced Lovebird or Agapornis roseicollis, Nyasa Lovebird or Agapornis lilianae, Black-checked Lovebird or Agapornis nigrigenis, and a few others.

In the U.S., the most common of the love birds is the Peach-faced love bird.

An interesting fact about love birds is that you normally cannot tell what sex they belong to by visual inspection. To know for sure, you will have to have a DNA test done or rely on the expertise of the pet shop from which you purchased it.

Can Love Birds Talk?

Even though they have this natural talent for articulating a wide range of sounds, most never learn to talk at all. So it is best not to purchase love birds with the belief that they will learn to talk. Even training them is no guarantee that they will eventually begin to vocalize human sounds.

With good care, love birds can live a relatively long time, especially if well cared for and kept in good health. It is not unusual to find love birds that are twenty years old and older. Generally, the sign of a sick love bird is a drastic change in their weight - either gaining weight or losing it.

So one of the first things that you do when you bring the bird home is to establish his or her weight baseline range. And then, periodically, monitor it. If you notice any drastic fluctuations in weight, its time to be concerned and for you to take the bird to a vet for an expert opinion.

Bird Houses
Having one or more bird houses in your back yard not only provides a great design or decorative piece in your area but also provides shelter for your feathered friends.

Garden Bird Feeders
Many modern garden bird feeders are not only great to look at, they're also great for attracting birds to your home.

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