The Long Feathered Peachfaced Lovebird

Myths in the Lovebird World

by Dirk Van den Abeele

In the last decades quite a few things have been happening within the lovebird world. Lovebirds are probably the most bred parrots in Belgium and Holland; to such an extent that these two countries have become the forerunners in breeding and development. With some pride I may state that the BVA (Belgian Lovebird Society) has played an important role in attaining this status. We started by collecting information about lovebirds worldwide. This information was available to everybody who asked for it.

To us it seemed important that bird breeders got correct information. Therefore a large part of the BVA funds is used to support the Mutavi Foundation. (MUTAtion and adVIce). Mutavi does research on feather structure and genetics. The BVA had already succeeded in bringing the several National Dutch and Belgian (General) Bird keeper Societies together and have them adopt uniform names for the colour varieties. This went as far as giving lessons to the judges of those Societies. Work is being done on an International Nomenclature too, in co-operation with scientists from all over the world. On a local level slide shows are given for clubs. So finally we have uniform judging and uniform names within our two countries.

In short, we provide accurate and up to date information about genetics and feather structure. This is the sole future of our hobby. Everybody should be able see the logic of this reasoning. It is time that the ‘tribal wars’ of the last century are finally stopped. Private breeders appreciate our approach profoundly and at last year's BVA annual show almost 1,300 lovebirds could be admired.

When the first Long Feathered Agapornis roseicollis roseicollis appeared many breeders were completely surprised. The consequence was much misunderstanding and the usual gossip. We believe it is high time to clear up the matter.

The myths

Let us first and foremost stress that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What troubles us however is the launching of fairy tales without any significant scientific basis except ignorance and gossip. Quite recently I read an article in which somebody stated that the Long feathered roseicollis was bred by crossing the standard bird with either another lovebird species or with the roseicollis sub-species. This of course is utter nonsense:

1. The hybrids of roseicollis and other species are mules.
   
   
2. The sub-species A. roseicollis catumbella is smaller than the nominate species and has an orange-ish bill. The mask indeed is slightly more intensive in colour. But, the Long Feathered roseicollis has a bill that is paler than the nominate race and it is larger than the nominate race, so certainly larger than the subspecies. That only leaves the deep red mask. This is caused by the presence of slightly more melanin in the mask and to a greater concentration of red psittacin. It is rather easy to prove that red psittacin (in this case located in the mask) can be produced very easily by parrots, to stay in the genus simply look at the reddish suffusion on the breast of many personatus or the red in the neck of a great many fischeri.

I have been breeding lovebirds for quite some years and have seen the rise of the Long Feathered roseicollis. In the beginning I was rather sceptical too. However instead of spreading fairy tales or repeating what others did (because they heard it from someone who thought he might have seen something) I decided to check it for myself. I visited people who bred this variety and followed up the results over a period of a few years. Next to that I bought a few of these birds and tried to breed them myself. I thus may conclude that what I state is not merely hearsay.

When this type of bird first appeared people blew hot and cold at the same time: the birds were beautiful, but had been treated with secret products, they had been crossed with other species, and they had had hormone treatment, and so on. One remarkable fact though: despite all this comment everybody wanted to buy these birds. During the break at slide shows spectators came up to me offering big money if only I would tell them the ‘big secret’ of how to feed the birds to make them that large. I have had to disappoint them all; the only secret is selection. The Long Feathered birds are a result of severe selective breeding. Mr Jac de Jong bred homozygous wild type birds for decades, he can be considered as one of the few pioneers who created this morph in the green bird. Only much later was the Long Feathered type combined with other colour varieties.

An often-heard remark is that some breeders claim to have selected their birds, but they never succeeded in breeding birds that big, so ‘something else’ must be the matter. An understandable remark, but please consider several points. It has been proven that with selection it takes about 20 generations to breed birds slightly bigger than the standard size. This increase can be promoted by environmental factors, food, and selection for size exclusively and so on. It is not necessary to use other species for this purpose. Simply look at the exhibition budgerigar and compare it to the wild type. Budgies have never been crossed with other species. The same is true for the exhibition zebra finch and it would be possible to cite other examples.

So why does this succeed in one colony and not in the other? Well, if one selects on specific items involuntarily the gene pattern of the individual is changed. These changes finally become typical for the colony or tribe. Look at some human families: in one family the members all are tall, in others they are short and stocky. On average the Chinese population is less tall than the Caucasian one. Certain diseases are typical for certain families.

Subspecies in birds may be created by separation. A number of individuals get separated from the main population and soon, in the limited number of birds, a certain amount of inbreeding fixes certain traits within the smaller group. Scientists therefore consider the Long Feathered Peach-faced as a recessive morph when it is out-crossed against the nominate species.

Again it could be argued that these birds are not purebred but the gene pattern of each individual is slightly different from that of another. The colour of the claws is genetically determined, the possibility of breeding freely may be present or absent, the gene or genes for size are present. All these items may be found in a bird. Of course environmental factors play an enormous role too: a bird may have the ability to become a king sized specimen. When undernourished it will never reach the genetically possible maximum size.

So theoretically it is possible that anyone could develop Long Feathered birds, under the condition that the genes for increased size are present in the basic material and that a selection on size is carried out for many years

Initially the bird people were surprised when they saw these birds. Where do those come from so suddenly? Simply: they did not come suddenly, it has been an evolution over more then twenty years. The first Long Feathered birds were shown some ten years ago. Many of them were penalised because they were too big according to the standard Even in the I.O.U. they were not accepted initially, only recently they may be rewarded.

It should also be noted that the evolution is still going on. It no longer shows so clearly as in the beginning but there exists an enormous difference between the big ones of say five years ago and those of today. We placed a few champions side by side, one of five years ago and one of today. We now already have a Long Feathered bird with smooth feathering. But this evolution demands a toll. Some Long Feathered hens prove to be infertile: nature has its limits. This shows in Peach-faced lovebirds as well as in budgerigars.

Personal experience

I personally bred my first Long Feathered from two specimens I bought in a pet shop. These birds showed a slightly redder mask but were quite ordinary size wise. When checking their history they proved to be offspring of birds of Jac de Jong The breeder had sold them to the pet shop because they were ‘not good’. In the first nest I had one Long Feathered chick that regrettably died after a few months. The Long Feathered chick from the second nest stayed alive. I then bought a half Long Feathered bird form a friend and set it up against mine. From that pair I bred about 10 Long Feathered birds (at the rate of 1 in 3). The next step was combining a Long Feathered bird with a standard sized roseicollis. After three generations I again bred a number of Long Feathered birds, although they still are somewhat smaller than the chicks of the first stud.

Others and my experiences sufficiently prove that the stories often invented about ‘’cheating and ‘fraud’ have to be based under the heading ‘’ignorance or ‘jealousy’. I do not believe these storytellers have the slightest idea of the difficulties the first breeders met due to their slanderous remarks.

The BVA has been in contact with other organisations. The option of creating separate classes for normal and Long Feathered lovebirds has been discussed. However: where does the perfect (wild type) lovebird end and where does the (bad) Long Feathered lovebird start? This leads to endless deliberations but a standard will have to be decided on finally. Talking about standards: the one for the exhibition budgerigar has been changed several times in the past century, because the birds, the colours and the ideal type are subject to evolution. The latter goes in the direction of the Long Feathered birds for exhibition Peach-faced. Like it or not, one can't stop progress.

All this does not automatically imply that every Long Feathered bird at an exhibition will get the top awards. During the last BVA judges meeting a list was made with the faults we often encounter in these birds, e.g. loose feathering, eyes disappearing under the head feathers, scaly legs, and so on.

The fact remains that the Long Feathered roseicollis has it made in Holland and Belgium. The people who posses them are happy; those who don't are disappointed but also try to obtain a future champion. Which is not that simple. Prices have risen and it takes a few years to build up a stud of Long Feathered birds.

If the Long Feathered Peach-faced had been created by hybridisation or transmutation I would be the first to pass that information on. Every bird breeder has a right to correct information. The Long Feathered Peach-faced may seem to have looked mysterious because initially there was no information whatsoever. When then some breeders were disappointed because their birds, bought for hard cash, did not immediately bring the desired result, some felt cheated and the spreading of nonsense started. Only in the second generation do the superior qualities of this bird re-appear. Genetic laws do not permit otherwise.

Once again, many slanderous remarks are based on mere ignorance, pure stupidity and often jealousy. Worse is that some of these remarks even get published

Apparently a lot of people still have doubts. I hope to have taken those away by providing the correct information. It has not been my intention to attack any organisation or person, but it is about time that the balloon of myths surrounding the Long Feathered Peach-faced lovebirds is burst.

© Dirk Van den Abeele, March 2001

My thanks to Dirk for providing this article and accompnying photograph on a form of the Peachface Lovebird which at present is probably confined to mainland Northern Europe. Dirk’s personal Webpages are at:

Agapornis Page

You will also find much of interest at the Belgian Lovebird Society (of which Dirk is the Chairman) Webpages:

Belgian Lovebird Society