Fischer's Lovebird Agapornis fischeri Scientific name definitions

15 cm; 42–58 g. Forehead and bill red, less intense on rest of head and shading on nape , sides of neck and throat to yellowish pink, then green on lower breast and belly ; back, wings and tail dark green; uppertail-coverts dark blue. Immature has duller head.

Feral populations exist in coastal Tanzania and Kenya, including Dar es Salaam and Mombasa (also Nairobi) (1 Forshaw, J. M. (2010). Parrots of the World. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ), and in SE France (2 Jiguet, F. (2007). En direct de la CAF: les inséperables de St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat et Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Alpes-Maritimes. [Lovebirds in south-eastern France]. Ornithos. 14(6): 376–381. In French with English summary. Close ), some mixed or hybridizing with A. personatus.

• Fischer's x Yellow-collared Lovebird (hybrid) Agapornis fischeri x personatus

Virtually confined to Tanzania S and E of L Victoria, including some islands off S shore; range centred on Serengeti. Records from S Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda appear to refer to wild individuals irrupting in response to drought within normal range, but could involve feral birds as well.

Commonest vocalization a screechy “krreek” or a disyllabic “chi-reek!”. When perched, utters a wide variety of chirruping and screechy notes; also short rattles. Large flocks maintain a continuous twittering. No clear differences with A. personatus, A. lilianae and A. nigrigenis.

Jan–Apr, Jun–Jul. Most nests 2–15 m up in dead trees or dead branches of living trees, commonly in old woodpecker or barbet holes in Acacia tortilis but also in natural cracks in Commiphora trothae branches, holes in Adansonia and frond-bases of Borassus palms; probably also sometimes in cliffs. In captivity : 3–8 eggs; incubation c. 23 days; nestling period 38 days.