The Black-masked Lovebird is the second of the two lovebirds kept in any numbers, and most keepers who have had both describe it as the calmer and less combative of the pair. It is a small, hardy, strikingly marked parrot that lives fifteen to twenty years, and it comes with the same decision every lovebird comes with.
One bird or two - make the choice first
A single hand-raised Masked lovebird handled daily becomes genuinely tame and treats its person as its mate. Two bond to each other and usually stay wild towards people however much time you spend. A pair is the easier, happier bird and the far less interactive one. Buying a second bird later for company is the most common way people lose the tame bird they had.
Calmer than a Peach-face, not a pushover
Keepers generally find Masked lovebirds less territorial and less inclined to pick fights than Peach-faces, which is why mixed-species aviaries usually go badly for the Peach-face rather than for this one. They still bite, hens in breeding condition still mean it, and a small bird is not automatically a gentle one.
The colours are the market
Blue, cobalt, violet, albino and a long list of others. The mutations are where most of the breeding attention goes and where most of the price difference sits. Colour has no bearing on temperament, and a well raised wild-type green bird will be a better pet than a poorly raised rare one.
Noise
A high, persistent chirping rather than a scream, and a pair will keep it going at each other through the day. One bird in a flat is usually fine. Two in a small flat is harder than people expect.
Living with one
Fifteen to twenty years, which surprises people who think of lovebirds as short-lived. A pelleted base with fresh vegetables, a cage with room to fly across, safe paper to shred, and daily handling if you want a tame bird.
Buying one
Say plainly whether you want a tame single bird or a pair to watch, and let the breeder match you - they will know which of their birds suits which. Ask whether it was hand-raised and how recently it was handled. The breeders listed on this page raise Black-masked Lovebirds and can be contacted directly through the site.