The most popular mutation of Peach-faced Lovebird is the Lutino Lovebird, followed closely in popularity by the beautiful Dutch Blue Lovebird. Both of these birds have all the wonderful charm and characteristics of the Peach-faced, being active, playful, and amusing. They are intelligent little birds and make a wonderful companion and friend.

The Lutino Lovebird makes a great beginner bird as they are relatively hardy, easy to care for, and will readily breed. A hand-raised Lutino Lovebird is an incredibly affectionate and fun companion. As they are quite intelligent and aware, even an untamed lovebird will watch it’s caretaker with curiosity and readily interact. They are also very brave little birds, and like a child, must be supervised carefully when out of their cage to make sure they don’t get themselves into trouble.

The Lutino Lovebirds are very social and love companionship. Their natural behavior is to live closely with a companion so are often kept with another lovebird. Though they make a very fine and affectionate pet when hand-raised, they will need a lot of attention if kept singly. Most are kept in pairs to satisfy their considerable need for constant companionship, mutual preening, and socialization.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Psittaciformes
Family:Psittacidae
Genus:Agapornis
Species:roseicollis

Scientific Name

Agapornis roseicollis var.

Description

   The Lutino Lovebird, a particularly striking bird with an overall yellow coloring and a bright red face, is a mutation of the Peach-faced Lovebird. The lutino mutation is a sex-linked gene. It acts by removing all of the melanin, the dark pigment, from the bird while the pigments of yellow and red are unaffected.
There are two other sex-linked mutations that work to partially remove or dilute the melanin. They are called cinnamon, or sometimes ‘fallow’. The darker of the two is the American cinnamon and can be described as a light green. The other is the Australian cinnamon, which is a very light greenish-yellow.

Size – Weight

   The Lutino Lovebird will get up to about 6″ – 7″ (16 – 18 cm) in length.

Care and feeding

   A roomy cage is required as lovebirds are very active. If you have a tame pet that is kept in a small cage, it needs to be let out for extended periods to fly about. Your pet will enjoy a variety of seeds, fruits, vegetables, and commercial pellets.

Social Behaviors

   A lovebird is a very social bird with its companion, and it is generally thought to be essential for their good health and happiness that they are kept in pairs rather than singly. They can, however, be aggressive towards other birds in an aviary setting.

Activities

   Loves to fly, climb, and play. Provide lots of room and lots of toys.

Breeding/Reproduction

   The Lutino Lovebird is excellent for the beginning breeder. These birds will breed well in either colonies or in a single pair, and have the same behaviors as the Peach-faced Lovebird. When you provide them with a nest box, be sure to also provide lots of willow twigs, palm fronds, or other nesting materials as they will build a small nest of their own inside of the nest box. They will carry the nesting materials between their back and rump feathers.
   The hen will lay four to five eggs which are incubated for about 23 days. The young fledge (leave the nest) in about 30 to 38 days but will still be dependent until about 43 days. When they become independent, remove the young to their own housing.
    See About Lovebirds: Breeding/Reproduction for more information on breeding.

Potential Problems

   This bird has a moderate but metallic shriek and can be somewhat noisy for parts of the day.
   See About Lovebirds: Potential Problems for information on illnesses.

Availability

  The Lutino Lovebird is very popular and is readily available.


Featured Image Credit: EKA TOM, Shutterstock