Agapornis pullarius
The Red-headed Lovebird (*Agapornis pullarius*) is a diminutive, yet striking, parrot native to tropical Africa, renowned for its vibrant plumage and unique nesting habits. Measuring approximately 15 cm (6 inches) in length and weighing around 40-50 grams, its body is predominantly bright green, contrasting sharply with a brilliant orange-red head and face, which serves as its primary distinctive field mark. A prominent blue rump and lower back, alongside dark flight feathers and a yellowish-...
Found in savanna woodlands, forest clearings, gallery forests, and cultivated areas, preferring open country with scattered trees. It typically occurs from lowland plains up to elevations of about 1,600 meters (5,250 feet).
Their diet primarily consists of various grass seeds, for which they forage both on the ground and directly from seed heads. They also consume a variety of fruits, berries, flower blossoms, and nectar.
Red-headed Lovebirds are diurnal and highly gregarious, often observed in pairs or small flocks outside the breeding season, roosting communally in trees. They are agile foragers, employing their strong beaks to extract seeds from grass heads and fruits from trees, often climbing acrobatically. W...
The Red-headed Lovebird is widely distributed across West and Central Africa, maintaining a resident presence throughout its range. Its western limit extends from Sierra Leone and Liberia, eastward through countries such as Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria. Further east, it inhabits...
Least Concern
- The Red-headed Lovebird is one of the only lovebird species known to excavate its nests exclusively within arboreal termite mounds, a truly unique adaptation. - Females of this species are notable for carrying nesting material-typically chewed wood pulp from the termite nest-tucked into their r...