How Lovebirds Live in Cactus Colony ( Find Out!)
Last Updated on May 14, 2022 by Ali Shahid
The beautiful petite lovebirds are among the most loving parrot species on earth. Lovebirds are native to the African subcontinent.
Living in the open and dry regions, peach-faced & feral rosy-faced lovebirds are adapted to build their nests in the cacti of Arizona.
Lovebirds are naturally cavity dwellers and they can easily live inside the crevices. The monogamous nature of these birds enables them to stay in one place.
The Phoenix region of Arizona inhabits peach-faced beautiful lovebirds who prefer to live in the holes of cactus plants.
Lovebirds are first reported in the Phoenix in the 1980s after the diversification of the pet trade in the southwestern African region. According to a recent survey, the region has an estimated population of more than 2000 lovebird individuals.
Why do Lovebirds Prefer to Live in Cactus?
The Arizona region has a very hotter and drier climate. Lovebirds also need to regulate their temperatures in such a hot environment. To counter the heat, they adapted many ways such as staying in cooler places.
The deserted land of Phoenix only has palm trees and native cacti plant population. The lovebirds living in these regions use an inventive way to stay cool by making nests in the cactus. Moreover, lovebirds are adapted to extract the water from the cactus fruits.
The cactus plants provide the lovebirds with a cooler living place and water source during the extremely hot environments. This is a prime example of how wild animals and birds adapt certain nesting behaviors in unfavorable conditions.
Lovebirds Cactus Colonial Setting
Lovebirds are instinctively monogamous and they live in the form of colonies in the wild. The cactus population in the inhabited region enables them to have a safe home in the scorching heat of the desert.
But lovebirds have very limited options available to accommodate the flock in one place. These birds usually choose a bigger cactus to inhabit a greater number of pairs. Lovebirds are very social in nature and that’s why they normally live in a colonial setting with each other.
Nesting Behavior of Lovebirds Species
The peach-faced lovebirds are not the only specie you can find in the African region. Apart from these lovebirds residing in the cacti and other trees, there are other species with distinctive living methods.
For instance, Fischer’s lovebirds make use of tree barks and crevices to live and lay eggs. They can easily carry strips of tree bark to make their nests. Peach-faced (Agapornis roseicollis) on the other hand, have more complex ancestral traits of making nests in the cacti.
Likewise, the feral rosy-faced are not native to this region and prefer to stay out of the human population. The deserted region of Arizona doesn’t house any appreciable trees leading to the nest building in the cactus plants.
Summing Up
Lovebirds are quite popular and loving birds. They are highly adapted and robust to live in hotter climates. With the rise in global warming and temperature of the Arizona & Phoenix regions, lovebirds are adapted to colonize the cactus plants.
Cactus provides not only a safe place for them to live but also protects the birds from heat and predators. At the same time, the cactus flowers are a great source of water which is an additional benefit for the survival of the wild lovebird colonies.
You can find more guides about lovebirds on imparrot.com
Research Links
https://doi.org/10.2989/OSTRICH.2007.78.1.3.47
