Madagascar
Love Bird (Agapornis cana)
by
Doug Bedwell Madagascar Love Birds are the only
Love Bird species which does not originate on the
African continent. Maddies come, not
surprisingly, from the island of Madagascar,
which lies off of Africa's Southeastern coast.
 Maddies are the smallest
species of Love Bird, typically weighing in at
only 30-35 grams. They are delicate and nervous,
and in some ways they seem more like finches than
hookbills. Their beaks are small, even in
relation to their body size, and they prefer
finch and canary seed over the
sunflower/safflower mixes that most other
Love Birds relish.
Madagascars are
strong fliers, and when open, their wings seem
larger in relation to their bodies than those of
the Peachfaced. Maddies can develop good speed
quite quickly and effortlessly, and turn
smoothly, though they are not as nimble in the
air as the Peachies. I have not, for example,
seen a Madagascar Love Bird hover in one place, as
the Peachfaced often will.
Maddies are one of
the few species of Love Bird that are sexually
dimorphic. Hens are entirely green and black,
with dark green on the back and wings, bright
green rump and paler green breast. The flights
are dark green on the leading edge, fading to
black on the trailing edge. The males are
similarly colored, except that their entire head
and upper breast are a soft pale grey. For this
reason, maddies are sometimes referred to by the
name "grey-headed Love Bird".
 Maddies are quite rare in
captivity, with only a very few breeders having
successfully reproduced more than one or two
generations. This, and the fact that even
hand-fed birds remain too shy and nervous to make
good pets, are clear reasons for any captive
madagascars to be given a chance to breed, rather
than being kept as pets. Though the future of
this species in captivity seems hopeful, the
breeding successes and failures of the next few
years may very well decide the fate of these
birds for future generations of aviculturists.
Above Photo:
Female on left; male on right
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