Fun Black Cheeked Lovebird Facts For Kids
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The black cheeked lovebird, Agapornis nigrigenis, belongs to the Psittaciformes family and genus Agapornis. These lovebirds are small parrots as their size is smaller than a parrot.
The black cheeked lovebird range map includes Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia but is known to be endemic to southwestern Zambia. This bird inhabits woodlands and medium-altitude forest types habitats, the forests mostly include deciduous forests.
They have a green body or plumage with parts of the head reddish-brown in color. The cheeks of this species, as the name suggests, are blackish-brown in color.
They have an orange patch under the throat and the beak is red in color. The juveniles have dull green plumage and orange-colored bills or beaks and they have a very prominent eye-ring.
Not much information is available about the breeding of these lovebirds and after they breed, three to six eggs are laid by the female and after hatching, the chicks stay with their parents for about four to six weeks.
The diet of these lovebirds includes grass seeds, vegetable matter, sorghum, millet, and corn and the diet is also known to include larvae of insects sometimes. These lovebirds live for about 13 years in captivity.
In the dry season, these lovebirds can be spotted in large flocks.
These lovebirds are known to be adversely affected or endangered by habitat loss and their habitat loss includes drying of water bodies which has led to the population of these lovebirds being endangered. The lovebirds are known to make manageable pets and are quite playful and entertaining.
It is quite fascinating to know about the black cheeked lovebird, Agapornis nigrigenis, and if you are interested, read about the Cooper's hawk and kea parrot too.
Black Cheeked Lovebird Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a black cheeked lovebird?
The black cheeked lovebird is a bird.
What class of animal does a black cheeked lovebird belong to?
It belongs to the class of Aves of birds.
How many black cheeked lovebirds are there in the world?
It has been estimated by scientists that there are almost 10,000 of these birds left in the wild.
Where does a black cheeked lovebird live?
This species is known to be endemic to southwestern Zambia. These birds have also been observed or spotted in the range that includes Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia.
What is a black cheeked lovebird's habitat?
These birds tend to inhabit woodlands and medium altitude forests and a similar range of habitats. These birds are mostly found in deciduous forests or woodlands and these birds prefer areas with enough water supply as it needs daily availability of water.
Who does a black cheeked lovebird live with?
In the dry season, these species can be seen in large groups or flocks.
How long does a black cheeked lovebird live?
These species are known to live for about 13 years in captivity.
How do they reproduce?
Not much information is available about the reproduction of these species but it has been observed that these birds lay for about three to six eggs and after hatching, the chicks stay with their parents for about four to six weeks and after this, they leave their nest.
What is their conservation status?
The conservation status of this species is Vulnerable as the population of this bird is endangered due to threats like trapping and hunting.
Black Cheeked Lovebird Fun Facts
What does a black cheeked lovebird look like?
The plumage of these birds is green. The face is almost black in color and the forehead or the part of the head and forecrown are reddish or brown in color.
As the name suggests these birds have brownish-black cheeks and the throat part of this bird is also brownish-black in color. There is an orange patch under the throat which tends to fade. The feet of this bird are gray in color.
These lovebirds are known to be distinguished by their white eye-ring. Adults are known to have a bright red colored beak while young ones are known to have an orange-colored beak and have dull plumage.
How cute are they?
This species is considered cute because of its color and size.
How do they communicate?
Not much information is available about the communication of this bird but just like other birds, this bird is also known to produce various types of calls and sounds to communicate.
How big is a black cheeked lovebird?
This species is known to be among the small parrots and is 5.5 in (140 mm) long as their size is smaller than parrots. They are also known to be smaller than their relatives like the masked and Fischer's lovebird.
How fast can a black cheeked lovebird fly?
The exact speed of the black cheeked lovebirds is unknown but they are known to be good flyers.
How much does a black cheeked lovebird weigh?
The weight of these species is around 0.08 lb (0.037 kg).
What are the male and female names of the species?
There are no specific names for males and females of the species.
What would you call a baby black cheeked lovebird?
There is no particular name for a baby black cheeked lovebird but it is referred to as a chick, young one, or juvenile.
What do they eat?
These black cheeked lovebirds are known to primarily feed on grass seeds, vegetable matter, sorghum, millet, and corn and are also known to feed on insect larvae sometimes.
Are they poisonous?
Black cheeked lovebirds are not considered poisonous.
Would they make a good pet?
These black cheeked lovebirds are known to be playful, intelligent, and entertaining ones and can make good pets once housed properly but because of their Vulnerable status, the black cheeked lovebirds are not petted much.
Did you know...
It is believed that these birds get extremely attached or close to their mates and there has been evidence that suggests that one can get into depression if the other ones just go away or die but these lovebirds are capable of living alone in captivity or as pets.
These birds are named lovebirds because of their strong bond.
Being a type or a variant of parrot, the lovebirds do not possess the ability to copy and imitate human speech or sounds like other species of parrots but can make or imitate certain general sounds like whistles.
There exist around nine different species of lovebirds some of them include the masked lovebird, Fischer's lovebird, Nyasa lovebird, and the peach faced lovebird.
These species are known to be quite active.
There have been no black cheeked lovebird mutations recorded or studied but the hybrid of these species and the masked lovebirds are known to have a blue color which has not been studied extensively and thus, lack strong observations and evidence.
Are lovebirds hard to take care of?
The black cheeked lovebirds make manageable pets and their care is also manageable and not difficult. Just like other pets, there are few things to take care of like their cage, habitat, temperature and these birds can be trained to perform tricks.
It should be ensured that there are no sharp objects around when these black cheeked lovebirds are out of the cage.
Are they predators?
The black cheeked lovebirds are known to be predators as they sometimes feed on insect larvae.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our magpie facts and common nighthawk facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable black cheeked lovebird coloring pages.
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As a highly motivated, detail-oriented, and energetic individual, Olaleye's expertise lies in administrative and management operations. With extensive knowledge as an Editor and Communications Analyst, Olaleye excels in editing, writing, and media relations. Her commitment to upholding professional ethics and driving organizational growth sets her apart. She has a bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of Benin, Edo State.
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