Psittaciformes - Agapornis - Red Masked Lovebird

Black Masked Lovebird - Agapornis Personatus - Least Concern

The yellow-collared lovebird (Agapornis personatus), 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 northeast 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.

Description: The yellow-collared lovebird is a mainly green small parrot about 14.5 cm (5.5 in) long. Its upperparts are a darker green than its lower surfaces. Its head is black, and it has a bright red beak with white above it and white eyerings. Yellow on the breast is continuous with a yellow collar and an expansion of yellow over the nape of the neck. Male and female have an identical external appearance.

Breeding: The yellow-collared lovebird brings nesting material in its beak to a tree cavity for their nest. The eggs are white and there are usually four to five in a clutch. The female incubates the eggs for about 23 days and the chicks leave the nest about 42 days after hatching.

Color Varieties: The blue mutation was originally found in wild birds in the 1920s and is the oldest colour mutation known in the lovebird genus. The other mutations are a result of selective breeding in aviculture, such as two cobalts which will make a mauve (black). Various color mutations exist, including blue, cobalt, mauve, slate, dilute slate, violet, lutino (ino) and albino.

The Blue and the Lutino mutations are where some color genes have not been passed on, or have been suppressed from the original wild color form. In the case of the lutino the micro-structure which creates the blue based colors in the normal form is not passed on to offspring when it arises; hence everywhere yellow except the face which contained the colors which make up orange. In the case of the original Blue, none of the yellow or red pigment genes are passed on. The Albino is the latest "color" which is a combination of the Lutino, and the Blue ('wild' coloring minus blue, and minus red and yellow = no color so is completely white).

The Dilute mutation is a lightening of the darker feathers, most noticeable in the wings, and face. It was first noted from Green (Wild) colored parents, & originally called "Yellow". This new color was soon built up in numbers by passionate aviculturalists, and once secure was bred to Blue colored birds. The result was then known as "White", but we now call this combo a Dilute Blue.