120



Helmut Hampe—Tame Lovebirds



both birds dashed furiously out of the nest-box to drive it away.

Hands were particularly regarded as enemies and to some extent

considered apart from the person to whom they belonged. Our tame

Lovebirds scarcely ever seriously bit our ears or lips, but most of them

would bite a hand if it approached them while they lay in the other.

The two hands were evidently looked upon as separate entities, one

friendly, the other an enemy, or perhaps another bird.


As a rule the tame Lovebirds treated strange birds wdth complete

indifference. Pansa, however, did not object to the society of some

young Budgerigars which I had taken in order to hand-rear them ;

he fed them freely and displayed to them, and he did the same when

coloured Budgerigars were introduced to him, so did a tame Grass

Parrakeet. I observed Pansa’s first attempts at pairing when he was

three months old, and the hens at the same age frequently put them¬

selves in position for pairing, so that the question of sex can easily

be decided by this behaviour provided enough time is devoted to

watching and studying the birds. All other indications of sex are

uncertain, at any rate where young birds are concerned.


Pansa and the other Lovebirds sometimes attempted to hold things

“ in his hand ” but he was very clumsy at it and never, like so many

Parrots, carried the food to his beak ; instead he stood upon it to

steady it while he bit off mouthfuls from it.


In his youth Pansa often stuck twigs and similar objects in his rump

feathers, then he left it off, but when he was three years old he recom¬

menced it to a much greater extent. If such observations were made

oftener perhaps it could be determined if the group of the four Love¬

birds with white circles round the eyes are particularly near relations

of the Peach-faced, for in their habits and voice and especially in the

appearance of the young there are resemblances which do not exist

with the other species.


Pansa unfortunately never learnt to talk, but we did not take

much trouble with his education. In any case Lovebirds have little

aptitude for speech and cannot compare with Budgerigars. Only a

few talkers are known, and I have only had two Black-cheeked, both

hens, which could say “ Come here ” loudly and indistinctly. Neither

do they readily mimic sounds, a lack for which their other pleasant

qualities amply atone.



