Agapornis roseicollis
Status: No accepted records.
Taxonomy: There are two subspecies recognized in this species’ native range in Angola and Namibia (AviList 2025), but the established populations in Phoenix, Arizona and presumably those in Hawaii are descended from captive birds (see below).
Comments: There are three reports. An obvious escapee or released bird was hanging out at the Omaha, Douglas Co Purple Martin roost 4-17 Sep 2010. Another was at a Scottsbluff, Scotts Bluff Co nursery 16 Sep 2011, and a tame individual came to hand in Omaha, Douglas Co 31 Mar 2020.
The Rosy-faced Lovebird (sometimes called Peach-faced Lovebird) is widely bred in captivity both as a hobby and commercially for the pet trade. Only three of more than 500,000 individuals exported from 1992 through 2001 were of wild origin (Radamaker and Corman 2011). It breeds easily in captivity. A pair can potentially rear three broods (4-5 eggs per clutch) in a season (Vriends 1984). As a consequence of their popularity and ease of captive breeding, local escapees and illegal releases from breeders and owners are likely the initial source of a widespread and conspicuous feral lovebird population now found in the greater Phoenix area and presumably in Hawaii.
The Rosy-faced Lovebird population in Phoenix and populations in Hawaii, are the only known feral populations in the United States. Small groups have been observed outside of the greater Phoenix area in Arizona, such as in Tucson, but little has been documented about those sightings and there is little evidence suggesting that these areas have established colonies. Interestingly, the Arizona population of Rosy-faced Lovebird is one of the very few populations of introduced parrots that descend from domesticated stock (Radamaker and Corman 2011). In Hawaii there are numerous reports for Maui (mainly Kihei but expanding) and the Big Island (mainly Waikoloa, but also south to Kealakekua (https://birdfinding.info/rosy-faced-lovebird/).
Literature Cited
AviList Core Team, 2025. AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025. https://doi.org/10.2173/avilist.v2025.
Radamaker and Corman, 2011. Status of the Rosy-faced Lovebird in Phoenix, Arizona. Arizona Field Ornithologists, accessed 25 May 2018.
Vriends, M. 1984. Lovebirds. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey, USA.
Recommended Citation
Silcock, W.R., and J.G. Jorgensen. 2025. Rosy-faced (Peach-faced) Lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis. In Birds of Nebraska — Online. www.BirdsofNebraska.org
Birds of Nebraska – Online
Updated 16 Jul 2025