NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Gray-headed Lovebird
Agapornis canus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The gray-headed lovebird or Madagascar lovebird (Agapornis canus) is a small species of parrot of the lovebird genus. It is a mainly green parrot. The species is sexually dimorphic and only the adult male has grey on its upper body. They are native on the island of Madagascar and are the only lovebird species which are not native on the African continent. They are the smallest of the lovebird species. It is rarely seen in aviculture and it is difficult to breed in captivity.
Wikipedia contributors, Grey-headed lovebird; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:43:44.852881+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Agapornis canus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
- Name authority
- (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
- Common name
- Gray-headed Lovebird
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Genus
- Agapornis
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPsittaciformes
- familyPsittaculidae
- genusAgapornis Selby, 1836
- speciesAgapornis canus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Agapornis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Fischer's LovebirdAgapornis fischeri Reichenow, 1887 | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-cheeked LovebirdAgapornis nigrigenis W. L. Sclater, 1906 | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-headed LovebirdAgapornis pullarius (Linnaeus, 1758) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-winged LovebirdAgapornis taranta (Stanley, 1814) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow-collared LovebirdAgapornis personatus Reichenow, 1887 | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lilian's LovebirdAgapornis lilianae Shelley, 1894 | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-collared LovebirdAgapornis swindernianus (Kuhl, 1820) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rosy-faced LovebirdAgapornis roseicollis (Vieillot, 1818) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Psittacus canus J. F. Gmelin, 1788 J. F. Gmelin, 1788 | synonym |
| Agapornis cana (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=554883 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:65MFJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.