Your lovebird reaches maturity at around 6 months. From this point on it will get broody (hormonal) about twice a year normally about spring and fall. These are the natural breeding times for lovebirds.
There are two breeding seasons, the primary breeding season is from January to April, followed by a shorter season which lasts from June to July.
The only way to be certain that your lovebirds have mated is by checking for eggs. In most cases, the female lovebird will lay her first egg ten days after mating and then will brood, or sit on the eggs, after the second is laid. Look at the nest every morning to see if there are any eggs.
The monogamous birds reach sexual maturity when they're about ten months old. Mating begins with courtship behavior, and can continue throughout their roughly 15-year lifespans.
Lovebirds lay groups of eggs, called clutches, 5-6 times per year. Each clutch will have multiple eggs laid over a series of days that make up the entire clutch. In captivity, these clutches can be laid at any time of the year, while in the wild, they tend to happen during the warmer spring and summer months.
Even if you cage same sex birds together, they will often form a mate bond and behave like a breeding pair. Two females will sometimes lay eggs and incubate them together, even though the eggs are not fertile.
Eggs will be laid within 7–10 days after mating. In my case, Lulu laid an egg exactly a week later, on October 6th, 2016. Interestingly, we had no idea that she was pregnant! Usually, a hen (female lovebird) lays a clutch of 4–6 eggs, in a gap of 1–2 days.
Unless one of them lays an egg, you can't tell their sex without a blood test. Mating does not have to result in egg laying, and two males will mate with each other in captivity. It's important that they are the same species of lovebird.
If your male is a lot younger than the female, she might not view him as a suitable mate. And some birds aren't compatible and won't bond as mates. You mentioned she keeps laying eggs. It's very hard on the female to lay eggs – it takes a lot of calcium and protein to form each egg.
Dives, wing flaps, head nods and intricate steps are used by birds to show off their experience and suitability as a mate. Generally males will dance for females while she watches but in some species birds will interact with each other during a courtship dance.
Courting and Mating: Birds court one another with dances, songs and building nests. Love's a many splendored thing! From dancing to eating to nest building to singing, birds have many courtship rituals. And springtime is the most likely time for you spot some of these unique behaviors right in your own backyard.
Courtship behavior can include things like food delivery, dance moves (displays), and mutual preening. In many cases, the most extravagant courtship displays belong to the species where males contribute little else to the relationship—think strutting grouse or dancing birds-of-paradise.
What is this? Another species of birds, lovebirds, often appear to be kissing when they're close to each other. What they're actually doing is preening each other. In general, the pair will preen the facial and head feathers of the other bird because these areas are out of reach when self-preening.
Average daytime temperatures can range from 60oF to 70oF with nighttime temperatures down to 40oF. As a rule of thumb, ambient temperature comfortable for you should be adequate for your bird.
They often seek the companionship of another bird or human. If this companion is perceived as a mate you might witness a very elaborate courtship dance. Female lovebirds will spread their wings out, lift their tail and spin in a circle as they emit some quiet repetitive sounds.
While it's difficult to ask them if they enjoy doing the deed, a quick look at their behavior shows that, at the very least, most mammals and birds experience sexual pleasure.
Research has traditionally focused on male competition for access to females or territory and on females choosing males based on their feathers and fights. But recent investigations suggest that females not only compete with each other, but also rely on such traits in deciding whether to engage or defer.
During mating, the male bird goes on top of the female, facing the same direction. They have an entrance called cloaca which they rub against each other. From the cloaca, the male sperm passes onto the female ova, where it is fertilized. After fertilization, the egg comes out of the female cloaca.
You definitely can NOT allow related birds to breed – this is called inbreeding.
Lovebirds are known for being monogamous. The birds form extremely strong bonds and can often be observed feeding and pruning each other. Lovebirds will form mating pairs for life, which can mean these birds are bonded for up to 15 years!
Hybrids produced by the pairing of a rosy-faced lovebird (or peach-faced lovebird) with one of the "eye-ring" species (i.e. those species which have a prominent area of white bare skin encircling the eye, Fischer's lovebird being a typical example) are usually sterile, whereas crosses between the "eye-ring" species are ...
The brief rubbing of cloacas may last less than a second, but the sperm is transferred quickly during this "cloacal kiss" and the mating is complete. The balancing may take longer as the birds stay touching one another, and several "kisses" might occur within a few moments.
Some bird species can lay eggs immediately after mating while others may take weeks or even months to do so. It is essential to understand that birds have varying reproductive patterns and behaviors. While some birds breed once annually, others breed multiple times throughout the year.
Malnutrition and behavioral issues can affect the quality of your bird's eggs (and their propensity to break them).