Overview
Rosy-faced Lovebird: Small green parrot with red front, pink throat and breast, and blue rump and tail. Has a narrow, white eyering, pale yellow bill, and gray legs and feet. Has pointed wings and short, square tail. Sexes similar. Juvenile duller overall. Fast, direct flight.
Range and Habitat
Rosy-faced Lovebird: Within its native range in southwestern Africa, this species occurs in deserts, dry forests, and arid grasslands. Introduced populations in North America occur in urban areas of central and southern Arizona, Florida, northern Virginia, and limited areas of the West Indies and Mexico. Populations are resident.
Lories, Lovebirds, and Australasian Parrots (Psittaculidae)
ORDER
The taxonomic order PSITTACIFORMES (pronounced sit-uh-suh-FORM-eez) is composed of four families; the New Zealand parrots such as the Kakapo, the cockatoos, the African and New Word parrots, and the lories, lovebirds, and Australasian parrots.
FAMILY TAXONOMY
The Psittaculidae (pronounced sit-uh-KUL-i-dee), a family found in Africa, Asia, Australia, and islands in the Southern Pacific, includes one hundred and ninety-nine species of parakeets, lovebirds, and lories in forty-eight genera.
NORTH AMERICA
Three species of lories, lovebirds, and parakeets in three genera have been recorded in North America.
KNOWN FOR
Members of this family are known for their strongly downcurved bills, popularity as pets, and screeching vocalizations. One of the members of this family, the Budgerigar, is one of the most popular bird species kept in captivity. Several other species are also commonly kept as pets, especially the lovebirds.
PHYSICAL
Most of the members of this family are small in size, the large King and Eclectus Parrots of Australasia being the exception. As with other Psittaciformes, all lories, lovebirds, and Australasian parrots have short, sharply decurved bills, and short legs with strong “zygodactyl” toes (two facing forward and two facing backward). Most of the lories and Australasian parrots have long wings, and long, pointed tails, whereas lovebirds have short, square-shaped tails.
COLORATION
Lories, lovebirds, and Australasian parrots are very colorful birds, most of which have plumages with different shades of green and other colors, including bright red, blue, and yellow. Many species also have orange or red bills.
GEOGRAPHIC HABITAT
The three members of this family found in the United States occur as small populations that escaped from captivity, and rely on non-native fruiting trees for survival. The Rose-ringed Parakeet has become established in Hawaii and cities in California, the Rosy-faced Lovebird occurs in some towns and cities in Arizona, and the Budgerigar has nearly disappeared from southern Florida.
MIGRATION
In North America, none of the members of this family are migratory.
HABITS
Members of the Psittaculidae are very social birds, and many species occur in flocks. They form strong pair bonds with individual pairs often discernible even when associating with other birds. Members of this family use their strong bills to crack open seeds and feed on fruits. When searching for fruiting and seeding trees, they are often seen in rapid flight as they give frequent screeching vocalizations.
CONSERVATION
Several members of this family are endangered, especially in Indonesia and islands in the Southern Pacific. They are threatened by a combination of habitat loss and capture for the pet trade. None of the three species that occur in North America are threatened.
INTERESTING FACTS
Several Australian members of this family forage for seeds on the ground, and a few species are entirely terrestrial, including the Night Parrot. Believed to be extinct for several decades, this nocturnal species of the Australian outback was rediscovered in 2013. Another member of this family, the Alexandrine Parakeet, is named after Alexander the Great after he brought the species to Greece from India. It continues to be a popular pet and has established populations in several European cities.