Parrots and Lovebirds - Bird of the month February 2019

[Richprins]

Fascinating stuff, Dingwe!

[Flutterby]

They are such lovely birds!

[Peter Betts]

A Knysna Parrot Is that a new species, or do you mean Cape Parrot (I have never seen one) ?

..No Cape Parrots in Kruger (Knysna Parrot ) but the similar Grey Headed Parrot is found around Punda when the trees are fruiting

[Peter Betts]

Nice one, Dindingwe

I have never seen parrots nor lovebirds in South Africa

Rosy faced Love Birds are 99.99% found in Namibia and not in RSA ..Parrots like the Brown Hooded are in Most Rest camps and surrounds in Kruger ..Easily located by their screaming loud calls as they speed overhead to the next fruiting tree

[Flutterby]

There are quite a number of Rosy-faced Lovebirds in certain suburbs in Johannesburg.

[Peter Betts]

There are quite a number of Rosy-faced Lovebirds in certain suburbs in Johannesburg.

Yes and Rose Ringed parakeets .. I remember those in JHB when we lived there ..all escapees

[ExFmem]

Beautiful pics, and lots of great info. here. Dindingwe

[Dindingwe]

Rosy-faced Lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis)

The Rosy-faced Lovebird is smaller than the Parrots. They are mostly green with a blue rump. The face and throat are pink. The forehead is red. Both sexe are similar, but the red on the head of the males is brighter. Juveniles are paler.
As Peter said, they are almost endemic to Namibia, marginally extending into Northern Cape and southern Angola.
They prefer woodland and eat seeds, fruits and figs.

Near Keetmanshoop (Namibia)

[Peter Betts]

One of my school buddies at boarding school farmed at Mariental Namibia and at around mid morning at almost any sheep drinking trough there would be a mass of green and pink as hundreds of Love Birds literally used to descend to drink ..Huge noise too.

Their farm House had a long passage with all rooms leading off it ..Front door at one end and back door at the other end ...Every evening for a few years one Rosy Faced Love Bird would fly in the front door and go and sleep in a hat hanging on the hat stand half way down the passage . It used to fly out of the permanently left open back door at daybreak to join its nearby mates ..On a few occassions around breakfast time he brought in 3 or 4 of his mates in one of the doors and noisely they screamed out the other end !!! ...Imagine the conversation ' This is where Farmer Brown sleeps and this is the spare room and this is the kitchen ...Oh yes this hat on the left of the Hat stand is where I sleep !!'

[Richprins]

Peter!


Good stuff, Dingwe.