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A hybrid lovebird is the result of two species of lovebirds being cross-bred. Hybrids produced by the pairing of a rosy-faced lovebird (or peach-faced lovebird) with one of the "eye-ring" species (i.e. those species which have a prominent area of white bare skin encircling the eye, Fischer's lovebird being a typical example) are usually sterile, whereas crosses between the "eye-ring" species are often fertile. [1]
Primitive species pairing takes places when the birds are about four months old. Prior to that they are completely dependent of their parents even though they have already developed adult plumage. In some species, pairing takes place even sooner, around two months of age and at that time they still have their juvenile plumage. It usually takes no more than a few hours to determine if lovebirds are lifelong partners or not. When birds reach their sexual maturity, their behaviors become more elaborate. One common behavior amongst female species is their active aggression to the male species when he is trying to woo her. The male's response is a combination of fear, sexual appetite, aggression and frustration. Using hear and sexual appetite as his primary motivation, the male first approaches his mate by sliding toward and then moving away from her all while turning around his perch. This is common to all species, and is called “switch-sliding”. More behaviors associated with frustration from the male species include squeak twittering. This is common between three species- the Madagascar lovebird, the Abyssinian lovebird, and the red-faced lovebird. “Squeak-twittering” is when the male lets out a series of high-pitched sounds when the female stops him and disappears into the nest. These sounds can vary in pitch and purity of tone and also have no recognizable rhythm. In species such like the peach-faced and all four types of white-eye-ringed forms, their squeak twittering is different. There is less variability in pitch and purity but there is also a distinct rhythm. Another behavior is head scratching. It usually occurs out of frustration and usually involves the foot that is closest to the female at the time.
This is the transfer of regurgitated food from one partner is the pair to the other. In most species it is the female transferring food to her male partner. But in species such as the peach-faced and white-eye-ringed, it is the male's responsibility.
Females indicate when they are ready to copulate. She adjusts the feathers of her head. The more she fluffs up her feathers, the more readily she is which encourages the male even more. When finally ready, she will lean forward and raise her head and tail. This gesture is not common for all species, especially in primitive species. It is a recent evolution for female bird species. When birds first pair together, they are awkward. The male makes many mistakes, which make the female threaten and thwart towards their mate. After time, the male learns and causes the female less aggravation.
Disagreements between members of the same species are handled differently than nesting pairs. There are elaborate patterns of threats and appeasement. Some examples include a series of long, rapid strides toward opponent, which suggests aggression. Ruffling of feathers indicates fear and the will to escape. Submission can be shown by fleeing, being quiet, turning its head away from their opponent or fluffing its plumage. Because of these codes used between birds, this results in little to no actual fights happening. Although, when they do occur, the birds can cause serious injury to each other. Display fighting is common amongst recently evolved species. This fake fighting primarily consists of bill fencing, which consists of the birds parrying and thrusting their bills and aiming sharp nips at their opponents’ toes.
Lovebird is the common name for the genus Agapornis, a small group of parrots in the Old World parrot family Psittaculidae. Of the nine species in the genus, all are native to the African continent, with the grey-headed lovebird being native to the African island of Madagascar.
Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus Pavo and one species of the closely related genus Afropavo within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are referred to as peahens.
The bearded reedling is a small, long-tailed passerine bird found in reed beds near water in the temperate zone of Eurasia. It is frequently known as the bearded tit or the bearded parrotbill, as it historically was believed to be closely related to tits or parrotbills. Today it is known to lack close relatives and it is the only species in the family Panuridae.
The golden pheasant, also known as the Chinese pheasant, and rainbow pheasant, is a gamebird of the order Galliformes and the family Phasianidae (pheasants). The genus name is from Ancient Greek khrusolophos, "with golden crest", and pictus is Latin for "painted" from pingere, "to paint".
The northern cardinal, known colloquially as the common cardinal, red cardinal, or just cardinal, is a bird in the genus Cardinalis. It can be found in southeastern Canada, through the eastern United States from Maine to Minnesota to Texas, New Mexico, southern Arizona, southern California and south through Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. It is also an introduced species in a few locations such as Bermuda and all major islands of Hawaii since its introduction in 1929. Its habitat includes woodlands, gardens, shrublands, and wetlands. It is the state bird of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The ruff is a medium-sized wading bird that breeds in marshes and wet meadows across northern Eurasia. This highly gregarious sandpiper is migratory and sometimes forms huge flocks in its winter grounds, which include southern and western Europe, Africa, southern Asia and Australia.
The blue-headed vireo is a migrating song bird found in North and Central America. There are currently two recognized subspecies that belong to the blue-headed vireo. It has a range that extends across Canada and the eastern coast of the United-States, Mexico and some of Central America. It prefers large temperate forests with a mix of evergreen trees and deciduous under growth.
The blue-crowned hanging parrot is a parrot species endemic to southern Burma and Thailand, Malaya, Singapore, and Indonesia. These parrots are 12 cm (4.7 in) in height and weight 28 g (0.99 oz)g and have a longevity of 14 years. They are recognized by their green plumage, black beak and characteristic blue feathers arranged like a crown on their head.
The rosy-faced lovebird, also known as the rosy-collared or peach-faced lovebird, is a species of lovebird native to arid regions in southwestern Africa such as the Namib Desert. Loud and constant chirpers, these birds are very social animals and often congregate in small groups in the wild. They eat throughout the day and take frequent baths. Coloration can vary widely among populations. Plumage is identical in males and females. Lovebirds are renowned for their sleep position in which they sit side-by-side and turn their faces in towards each other. Also, females are well noted to tear raw materials into long strips, "twisty-tie" them onto their backs, and fly substantial distances back to make a nest. These birds are common in the pet industry.
Fischer's lovebird is a small parrot species of the genus Agapornis. They were originally discovered in the late 19th century. They are named after German explorer Gustav Fischer.
The Guianan cock-of-the-rock is a species of cotinga, a passerine bird from South America. It is about 30 cm (12 in) in length and weighs about 200 to 220 g. It is found in tropical rainforests, near its preferred habitat of rocky outcrops. The female's plumage is brownish/dark smokey grey in colour, and generally less noticeable than the males because of their nesting work in rocky areas. The male's feathers are a bright orange. Both have a heavy body, broad-based bill and wear a remarkable half-moon crest on the head. It is one of two species of the genus Rupicola, the other being the Andean cock-of-the-rock. The Guianan cock-of-the-rock lives across the forested region of northeastern South America. Its diet consists mostly of fruit, but they sometimes feast on small snakes and lizards.
The Narina trogon is a largely green and red, medium-sized, bird of the family Trogonidae. It is native to forests and woodlands of the Afrotropics. Though it is the most widespread and catholic in habitat choice of the three Apaloderma species, their numbers are locally depleted due to deforestation. Some populations are sedentary while others undertake regular movements.
The yellow-collared lovebird, also called masked lovebird, black-masked lovebird or eye ring lovebird, is a monotypic species of bird of the lovebird genus in the parrot family Psittaculidae. They are native to Arusha Region of Tanzania and have been introduced to Burundi and Kenya. Although they have been observed in the wild in Puerto Rico, they are probably the result of escaped pets, and no reproduction has been recorded. They have also been observed in Arizona.
The Japanese quail, also known as the coturnix quail, is a species of Old World quail found in East Asia. First considered a subspecies of the common quail, it is now considered as a separate species. The Japanese quail has played an active role in the lives of humanity since the 12th century, and continues to play major roles in industry and scientific research. Where it is found, the species is abundant across most of its range. Currently, there are a few true breeding mutations of the Japanese quail. The varieties currently found in the United States include Pharaoh, Italian, Manchurian, Tibetan, Rosetta, along with the following mutations: sex-linked brown, fee, roux, silver, andalusian, blue/blau, white winged pied, progressive pied, albino, calico, sparkly, as well as non-color mutations such as celadon.
The Hispaniolan woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.
The Sulawesi myna is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
The red-winged fairywren is a species of passerine bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is non-migratory and endemic to the southwestern corner of Western Australia. Exhibiting a high degree of sexual dimorphism, the male adopts a brilliantly coloured breeding plumage, with an iridescent silvery-blue crown, ear coverts and upper back, red shoulders, contrasting with a black throat, grey-brown tail and wings and pale underparts. Non-breeding males, females and juveniles have predominantly grey-brown plumage, though males may bear isolated blue and black feathers. No separate subspecies are recognised. Similar in appearance and closely related to the variegated fairywren and the blue-breasted fairywren, it is regarded as a separate species as no intermediate forms have been recorded where their ranges overlap. Though the red-winged fairywren is locally common, there is evidence of a decline in numbers.
The red-backed fairywren is a species of passerine bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia and can be found near rivers and coastal areas along the northern and eastern coastlines from the Kimberley in the northwest to the Hunter Region in New South Wales. The male adopts a striking breeding plumage, with a black head, upperparts and tail, and a brightly coloured red back and brown wings. The female has brownish upperparts and paler underparts. The male in eclipse plumage and the juvenile resemble the female. Some males remain in non-breeding plumage while breeding. Two subspecies are recognised; the nominate M. m.melanocephalus of eastern Australia has a longer tail and orange back, and the short-tailed M. m. cruentatus from northern Australia has a redder back.
The science of rosy-faced lovebird colour genetics deals with the heredity of colour variation in the feathers of the species known as Agapornis roseicollis, commonly known as the rosy-faced lovebird or peach-faced lovebird.
Sexual selection in birds concerns how birds have evolved a variety of mating behaviors, with the peacock tail being perhaps the most famous example of sexual selection and the Fisherian runaway. Commonly occurring sexual dimorphisms such as size and color differences are energetically costly attributes that signal competitive breeding situations. Many types of avian sexual selection have been identified; intersexual selection, also known as female choice; and intrasexual competition, where individuals of the more abundant sex compete with each other for the privilege to mate. Sexually selected traits often evolve to become more pronounced in competitive breeding situations until the trait begins to limit the individual's fitness. Conflicts between an individual fitness and signaling adaptations ensure that sexually selected ornaments such as plumage coloration and courtship behavior are "honest" traits. Signals must be costly to ensure that only good-quality individuals can present these exaggerated sexual ornaments and behaviors.
Dilger, William C. “The Behavior of Lovebirds.” Scientific American, vol. 206, no. 1, 1962, pp. 88–99., www.jstor.org/stable/24937198.