Fischer's Lovebird
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 Fischer's lovebird spreading its wing
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| Agapornis fischeri Reichenow, 1887 |
The Fischer's lovebird (Agapornis fischeri, synonym Agapornis personata fischeri) is a species of bird in the parrot family. They are native to a small area of east-central Africa, south and southeast of Lake Victoria in northern Tanzania. In drought years, some birds move west into Rwanda and Burundi seeking moister conditions. They were originally discovered in the late 1800's, and were first bred in the United States in 1926. They are named after German explorer Gustav Fischer.
Fischer's lovebirds have green backs, chests, and wings, their necks are a golden yellow and as it progresses upward it becomes darker orange. The top of the head is olive green, and the beak is bright red. The upper surface of the tail has some purple or blue feathers. A. fischeri has a white circle around its eyes. Young birds are very similar to the adults, except for the fact that they are duller and the base of their mandible has brown markings. They are one of the smaller lovebirds, about 14-15 cm in length and 42-58 g weight.
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[edit] Life in the wild
A. fischeri lives at elevations of 1,100-2,200 m in small flocks. They have a fast, straight flight, and the sound of their wings as they fly can be heard. They live in isolated clumps of trees with grass plains between them. They also have a high-pitched chirp, and are very noisy. These birds eat a wide variety of foods, including seeds and fruit. They sometimes are pests to farmers, as they eat their crops, such as maize and millet. The breeding season is January through April and June through July. The nest is in a hole in a tree, often an old woodpecker hole, 2-15 m above the ground; the 3-8 eggs are incubated for 23 days, and the chicks fledging in 38 days. The population is estimated to be between 290,000-1,000,000, with low densities outside of protected areas due to capture for the pet trade; export licenses were suspended in 1992 to halt any further decline in the species.
[edit] Captivity
Like with any other pet, it is essential that one make sure the birds that one is about to buy were bred in captivity, and were not wild caught. Besides conservational and ethical reasons, wild caught animals are more likely to get sick, depressed, and to die.
Both sexes of Agapornis fischeri look the same. The only way to be sure what sex a certain bird is, without them laying eggs, would be to perform DNA tests (a competent avian veterinarian could do this with a drop of blood, or a kit can be ordered from an online source for a fee). Pelvic bone testing and surgical testing are not recommended.
[edit] Color mutations
The blue mutation is the main color mutation of this species, and is somewhat smaller than the wild bird. It has bright blue back, tail, and chest, with a white neck and a pale grey head, and a pale pink beak. This mutation was first bred by R. Horsham in South Africa in 1957, and two years later it was bred by Dr. F. Warford in San Francisco, California.
There is a yellow mutation, which first appeared in France. It is pale yellow with an orange face and a red beak.
Lutino (a mutation that is yellow in colour), pied, black or dark eyed white, cinnamon, white, and albino mutations have also been bred.
[edit] Housing
Fischer's lovebirds are very active and require a roomy cage. They also require lots of toys and things to chew on and play with. Without a roomy cage (a minimum of 20 x 20 x 30 inches / 50 x 50 x 75 centimetres for one bird, 25 x 25 x 30 inches / 65 x 65 x 75 centimetres for a pair. Do not buy a round cage either, as they do not properly give a lovebird a corner to hide in when they feel insecure), as well as many toys (4-6) and things to play with, they may get bored, depressed and may even go as far as feather-plucking, which can be hard to stop. It is also a good idea to provide a bird bath tub, as they love to take baths almost every day. After taking a shower, many times they like to sun themselves in order to dry off. However, they should not be near any windows, or they may become sick.
Lovebirds are extremely social birds, and it is generally recommended that they be kept in pairs (unless the owner is willing to spend several hours of time entertaining and being the companion of their single lovebird), for their emotional as well as physical well-being.
[edit] Food
Providing Fischer's lovebirds them a varied diet, such as pellets, fruits, seeds, grains, sprouts, and vegetables would be a good idea. As a regular food, pellets (One should avoid artificial coloring and pellets that contain the preservatives ethoxyquin and BHT/BAT, as they are toxic) are recommended as the millet food generally sold in pet stores is akin to junkfood, as it has too much fat and is not very nutritionally balanced. While lovebirds like this kind of food, it may decrease their life span. Pellets especially made for small birds such as lovebirds are a good way to give them a well balanced diet. Lovebirds generally particularly like grains and different kinds of wild rice, although it is recommended that other, healthier foods be mixed in with the grains to ensure that they get the vitamins they need.
An all-seed diet (or really a diet that only consists of one thing) is not sufficient and may lead to health problems, including fatty liver disease.
[edit] Personality
Each lovebird has their own individual personality, but some generalizations can be made. At first, they are very timid and will get spooked by sudden movements, loud noises, or new things, even small ones. One should be very careful not to scare them too much, which can interfere with their taming. They generally do not like to be touched. Lovebirds are very smart, and may even figure out how to open the door of their cage and get out. Adding to their intelligence, once they are tame and comfortable, they are very curious. If they are allowed outside their cage, one should take great care to safeguard the house by not letting them fly around the kitchen with the stove on, around any wires, around places where they could get stuck, such as behind the refrigerator, etc. A house can be a very dangerous place for lovebirds.
They also like to be clean, often preening their feathers and regularly taking baths. If let outside their cage, they may even fly to other places in order to defecate. Newspaper should be placed below their favorite areas for easy cleanup.
[edit] Taming
Buying hand fed Fischer's lovebirds can be quite expensive, but if one wants pets to interact with, it is recommended. Because they are very timid at first, great patience is required to tame non hand fed lovebirds. Taming them enough to climb on your finger (which they don't like very much) or to get them to fly to your shoulder (which they prefer) can take years.
Lovebirds (in general) are not known for their talking ability, although there are some lovebirds that do learn words - the females are usually the ones that do this.
[edit] Potential problems
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.
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 or anything they could possibly chew on.
Fischer's lovebirds, like many captive birds, can also suffer from feather-plucking if they get bored, or stressed. To prevent this, the lovebirds should be provided with many things to play with and chew on. They should have a roomy cage, and should be shown affection if they enjoy it. After feather-plucking starts, it is very hard to stop the habit. Providing them with the things mentioned above and giving them time will often reduce or stop the habit.
Lovebirds are notorious for being nesty birds, especially during mating season - for this reason, loose material such as shredded paper, fabric, etc. are not good things to give to your lovebird because they could see it as nest-making material and attempt to mate, which is not something that should be attempted by someone without lots of experience. "Huts", or hiding places and small enclosures that people often give their pet birds, are also not good for the same reason.
Fischer's lovebirds are prone to a mysterious disease characterized by having brownish to creamish patches in their feet and legs, which is probably an infection as a result of their obsessive biting of those areas. It is not known what causes this disease. One hypotheses is that they suffer from hormonal problems caused by changing light levels and the inability to perform things Fischer's lovebirds in the wild would naturally perform, such as building a nest. Another hypothesis is that it is caused by a pathogen. If the signs are detected, fischer's lovebirds should immediately be taken to the vet. Treatments usually involve antibiotics for the wounds, and some way to stop them from continuing the biting of the area. This can sometimes be accomplished with sedatives. Use of the Elizabeth collar should be an option of last resort, as wearing them is extremely stressful both to the bird wearing the collar and to the birds around it. Some lovebirds may start feather-plucking as a result of the stress.
Lovebirds are also known to be nippy and bossy. Although this can be seen as amusing and endearing by many owners, some do not like it; a lovebird, while a nice pet, is not for everyone. They bite very hard and love to test their limits - if the owner does not set them early on, he or she will have a bird that bites to get their way.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Agapornis fischeri. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is near threatened
- del Hoyo et al. (1997). Handbook of the birds of the World 4: 410. BirdLife International / Lynx Edicions.
- Lovebirds, second edition. By Matthew M. Vriends
[edit] External links
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