Fischer's lovebird ( Agapornis fischeri ) is a small parrot in the family Psittacidae, just 14 cm long and weighing 43 to 58 grams, which makes it one of the smallest species in the genus Agapornis .
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Psittaciformes |
| Family | Psittaculidae |
| Genus | Agapornis |
| Species | Agapornis fischeri |
Fischer's lovebird (Agapornis fischeri) is a small parrot in the family Psittacidae, just 14 cm long and weighing 43 to 58 grams, which makes it one of the smallest species in the genus Agapornis. Its plumage combines green on the back, chest and wings with a golden-yellow neck that darkens to an intense orange on the olive-toned head. Its bright red bill and striking white eye-ring stand out.
It shows no visible sexual dimorphism, so it is very difficult to tell males from females by sight alone.
It is native to a small area of east-central Africa, south and south-east of Lake Victoria, in northern Tanzania, where it occupies altitudes of between 1,100 and 2,200 metres in areas of scattered trees among grasslands. During droughts, some individuals move west, as far as Rwanda and Burundi.
Its diet is based on a wide variety of seeds and fruit, and it can occasionally cause damage to maize and millet crops.
It breeds between January and April, and again between June and July, nesting in tree hollows between 2 and 15 metres above the ground. The clutch ranges from three to eight white eggs, although four or five is usual. The female incubates them alone for 24 days, and the chicks leave the nest at between 36 and 45 days old.
It owes its name to the German explorer Gustav Fischer. It is one of the most popular lovebird species in aviculture, with numerous colour mutations, and in flight it produces a characteristic audible buzz made by its wings.
