is my lovebird a hybrid?

[birbpersin]

not sure if they're a he or a she, but i just stick with he for now. Hes about over a month and a half old. The place my parents brought them from is a place where they dont really care about animals (there are none where i live). It's getting supported by the wave of parents just buying their kids different animals without knowing how to care for them (i know, its terrible). So my parents got 2 chicks and didnt even know they were lovebirds. I had to do all the research and find out they were lovebirds and they're requirements etc. The younger one i can positively determine is a peach faced. I think the older one is a hybrid. I was confused as to why he was developing different colors from the younger one. If he is, is there any advice i can follow?

sorry for the horrible quality, and no, the box isnt their home, used to be their playground when they couldnt walk, both of them fly around our whole house now (birdproofed)

 

[DoubleTake]

As you've mentioned, the picture quality is quite fuzzy, but at first glance I would say he is not a hybrid. I would try to take another, clearer, pic. May be in a couple of weeks. There are so many mutations in lovebirds that I am not surprised that he would not look like the other lovebird. As for advice, regardless of him being a hybrid or not, you should treat him like any other lovebird. Hybrids can make great pets, just breeding is discourage and may not even be possible.

 

[Zara]

Welcome to the Avenue!

Your baby (who is a good 7-8 weeks old), still has their baby face, that peachy colour, with the black on the beak. When he is older (5-7months old more or less), he will have his first moult, the peach will fall out and he will get a nice vibrant red face with a strong brow line. His beak will lose the black over the coming weeks.
You will see a lot clearer once he is adult whether he is or is not a hybrid.

regardless of him being a hybrid or not, you should treat him like any other lovebird. Hybrids can make great pets, just breeding is discourage and may not even be possible.

100% agree! Nothing wrong with having a hybrid lovebird as a pet
Roseicollis hybrids are infertile, so if this bird is, they will not be able to breed.

The only thing that makes me even think he may be is the reddish tinge on the top of the head, though there could be other factors that cause this without being hybrid. The rest of the bird looks pure Roseicollis going off of this one photo.

 

[birbpersin]

As you've mentioned, the picture quality is quite fuzzy, but at first glance I would say he is not a hybrid. I would try to take another, clearer, pic. May be in a couple of weeks. There are so many mutations in lovebirds that I am not surprised that he would not look like the other lovebird. As for advice, regardless of him being a hybrid or not, you should treat him like any other lovebird. Hybrids can make great pets, just breeding is discourage and may not even be possible.

thanks for your thoughts, il retake another one in a few weeks. I just want to be sure if i should give extra care because i heard hybrids tend to have shorter lives (not that i'l care for him any less of hes not)

 

[birbpersin]

Welcome to the Avenue! View attachment 377674

Your baby (who is a good 7-8 weeks old), still has their baby face, that peachy colour, with the black on the beak. When he is older (5-7months old more or less), he will have his first moult, the peach will fall out and he will get a nice vibrant red face with a strong brow line. His beak will lose the black over the coming weeks.
You will see a lot clearer once he is adult whether he is or is not a hybrid.


100% agree! Nothing wrong with having a hybrid lovebird as a pet
Roseicollis hybrids are infertile, so if this bird is, they will not be able to breed.

The only thing that makes me even think he may be is the reddish tinge on the top of the head, though there could be other factors that cause this without being hybrid. The rest of the bird looks pure Roseicollis going off of this one photo.

thanks a lot for the warm welcome! and yeah he has a lot of red/orange parts in his body. His blue back that most roseicollis have isnt showing much. Instead of growing the green-blue feathers in his tail he grows red-orange feathers for that too. I will send another photo in a few weeks and again, thanks a lot

 

[Zara]

Instead of growing the green-blue feathers in his tail he grows red-orange feathers for that too

No, that is correct.
In the tail they have an orange ¨spot¨ on the feathers (minus the middle ones).
The blue is on their rump, higher up, some birds blue is more vibrant, others have dark factors that ¨dull¨ it.

 

[DoubleTake]

I just want to be sure if i should give extra care because i heard hybrids tend to have shorter lives

This may or not be true, there is no way to tell. Heck most of the data you find on the internet for the life span of the roseicollis species varies and most of those numbers are for the generic wild type standard mutation.

 

[Zara]

Even a pure Roseicollis... some don´t make it to a year old... others get up to twenty years old.
All we can do is try to always provide the best care we can. I really wouldn´t dwell on whether hybrids live longer or not.

 

[birbpersin]

No, that is correct.
In the tail they have an orange ¨spot¨ on the feathers (minus the middle ones).
The blue is on their rump, higher up, some birds blue is more vibrant, others have dark factors that ¨dull¨ it.

yes, even the pure one has it, but for the older one its different. I dunno how to explain it. MayB via photo later. And about the ageing thing, its a big relief for me. Thank you once again

 

[birbpersin]

This may or not be true, there is no way to tell. Heck most of the data you find on the internet for the life span of the roseicollis species varies and most of those numbers are for the generic wild type standard mutation.

thank you for informing, i dont have to worry 75% of the time anymore

 

[birbpersin]

right so, i managed to get a few clear photos. I know it hasnt been a few weeks or anything but i wanted to talk about the tail thing. Heres what i was talking about
this is my bird (his name is Robin, im tired calling him "The older one"

and heres a photo of a regular peach face lovebird i got from google




and one thing about Robin is that he also has some yellow feathers in his chest area, heres a front view of him his yellow fades when it reaches above his feet




and finally heres a photo of both of them together for comparison


(you already know but Robin is the one on the right)


also you might have picked this up from the pic but Baby (the younger one, yes i know im horrible with naming) who is actually younger than Robin is losing her black part of the baby beak more quick than Robin. I heard that they lose their black when they mature, right? Correct me if wrong. And Robin also flies and plays with things more than Baby so i dunno why hes less mature. I dunno if that has anything to do with him being a hybrid (i dont think it does but im not an expert, clearly, just putting it out there in case it is). What do you guys think? If he is a hybrid, which breeds were his parents? Or is he a lovebird that went through a family pack of mutations to end up this differently?

I really appreciate the time and effort you guys have to give up to help me with such a minor request.

 

[Gigibirds]

Hi! Yes, I would say that Robin is not a pure wild-type peachfaced! Yes, peach-faced lovies do lose the black on their beaks as they mature. Being a hybrid (if he is) is not what makes him play more with his toys - it's just his personality I have no idea what his parents were, brobaby both peach-faced but with different mutations or something like that. I wish I could help you more - but I'm still trying to figure out my lovebirds' mutations!!
They are so cute btw!!!

 

[DoubleTake]

Still don't think he's a hybrid. When I first saw him I thought maybe he was an opaline but now I think he's pied, time will tell.

 

[birbpersin]

Hi! Yes, I would say that Robin is not a pure wild-type peachfaced! Yes, peach-faced lovies do lose the black on their beaks as they mature. Being a hybrid (if he is) is not what makes him play more with his toys - it's just his personality I have no idea what his parents were, brobaby both peach-faced but with different mutations or something like that. I wish I could help you more - but I'm still trying to figure out my lovebirds' mutations!!
They are so cute btw!!!

Thanks for your thoughts! I just want to find out what he is if im gonna be living with him for the next couple of years. And thanks for the compliments! Really want to thank you for your time

Still don't think he's a hybrid. When I first saw him I thought maybe he was an opaline but now I think he's pied, time will tell.

Thats nice to hear, not that it makes a difference but if its true then he can have fertile children if he wants to. I dont plan on trying to breed them but if they want to, they can I guess. Thank you for your time!

 

[Zara]

I dont plan on trying to breed them but if they want to, they can I guess.

Please rethink this.
They could be siblings.
Not only that but breeding birds is more than just letting them get on with it. Captive birds deserve to have an experienced human around to help them when they struggle or need help.

 

[birbpersin]

Please rethink this.
They could be siblings.
Not only that but breeding birds is more than just letting them get on with it. Captive birds deserve to have an experienced human around to help them when they struggle or need help.

Wow, thank you for this. I didnt really study with breeding lovebirds because I didnt intend to. And i basically brushed of the fact that they could be siblings because of how different they both look. I dont know what I could've done without this site. Thanks a lot, i really am thankful. Il do the research needed to stop that from happening. But I wonder, is replacing the infertile/inbred eggs with another set of fertilized eggs from other parents an option? Not that it would be my last resort if my lovebird wanted to be a mother, but if thats okay then maybe it could

(sorry for stretching the topic of this post from what it used to be, I've never received help like this before, This web is just amazing)

 

[Zara]

Wait and see if you get any eggs, you never know, you may have two boys.
If you get eggs one day, then remove them, boil for a few minutes then put them back once they´ve cooled down. Invest in a set of dummy eggs after that so it´s easier for you.

 

[Pat H]

@birbpersin -- WELCOME to the Avenue!!! It sounds so complicated! Relax! and enjoy the kids...

 

[birbpersin]

Wait and see if you get any eggs, you never know, you may have two boys.
If you get eggs one day, then remove them, boil for a few minutes then put them back once they´ve cooled down. Invest in a set of dummy eggs after that so it´s easier for you.

k thankkss, il try. And im almost positive the younger one is a female because of how she acts. Very territorial and aggressive towards robin. She likes shredding paper too. Just the other day I was taking her out and she launched at me (with the puffed up body and wide open beak and everything, she was MAD). But im still not sure. Thanks again

 

[birbpersin]

@birbpersin -- WELCOME to the Avenue!!! It sounds so complicated! Relax! and enjoy the kids...

Thank you for the warm welcome!