Buying Peachface Lovebirds

When you decide that you want a lovebird, it helps to know what sort of lovebird you want. Just as there are different types of dogs and cats, there are a number of different species of lovebird that you can raise. Peachface lovebirds, which are one of the most commonly available species, are very popular for beginners to lovebird raising. To better understand why peachface lovebirds are so popular, let's take a look at some of their features.

Appearance

The most common colors on peachface lovebirds are green with a rosy sort of pink to their faces, from which they get their names. The tail feathers will also often show some light blue feathers, adding more color. The bright plumage of peachface lovebirds give them an exotic, tropical look, which makes sense given their native habitat of arid areas in the hot parts of southwest Africa. Variations on their plumage include yellow and blue varieties as well. Females and males tend to have similar coloring, though the plumage of males will be brighter.

Size

Peachface lovebirds are the largest among the lovebird species, though they are only six or seven inches in length. To keep your peachface lovebirds happy, be sure to get as much cage space as is practical; at least a cage that's 20 inches on each side is preferable. Keep in mind that such a minimum is for one bird, and that if you purchase a mate, you should get more space.

Breeding

Peachface lovebirds are often recommended to those who are new to lovebird breeding, because they take to it very well. You can breed these birds in single pairs or in larger colonies, but if you choose to put your birds in a colony for breeding, make sure to have more nesting boxes, eight inch cube boxes kept at roughly the same height, put up than you have pairs of birds.

In the wild, female peachface lovebirds will tear strips of nesting materials into long strips for use in nesting. You can help them with this by providing palm fronds and willow twigs that they can use in a similar capacity. Hens will lay about five eggs, which will take a little over three weeks to hatch, and by 43 days after hatching, the chicks will be independent and ready to be sold or placed in their own cages. Overall, from breeding to care, peachface lovebirds are generally very easy to raise, which is one reason why they're such a great species for beginning lovebird owners.