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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