The Nyasa Lovebird (Agapornis lilianae) is found in several disjunct populations in southeastern Africa. Nyasa Lovebirds can be distinguished from all other lovebirds by the combination of orange-red face and throat and green rump and uppertail coverts. The similar Black-cheeked Lovebird (A. nigrigenis) has a dark hood. Nyasa Lovebirds are highly gregarious and generally encountered in noisy flocks of 20 to 100 or more birds. Non-breeders form communal roosts in tree hollows where 4 to 20 birds sleep clinging to the walls. Food consists mainly of grass seeds collected both directly from the plants and from the ground. Nyasa Lovebirds visit water often. Breeding is colonial. The Nyasa Lovebird is sometimes treated as conspecific with the Black-cheeked Lovebird and occasionally even with the Fischer's and Yellow-collared Lovebirds (A. fischeri and A. personatus).
(Collar 1997 and references therein; Juniper and Parr 1998 and references therein)
Rights Holder: Leo Shapiro
