Watercolour of Roseicolli

by Ria Winters

Most parrot lovers know the books “Histoires Naturelles des Perroquets” of French ornithologist François Le Vaillant (if the books are not familiar, the collectible colour plates might be).
The first two volumes were published during Vaillant’s life (in 1801 and 1805). The last one was published in 1838 by Alex Bourjot Saint-Hilaire, in the same spirit as the other two, fourteen years after Le Vaillant’s death.

I’m fortunate to have access to all three books (Artis Library, Amsterdam). A few weeks ago I went through the third book and came across the plate of the Roseicolli. Most of the drawings in the Perroquet books are without background but the Roseicolli is portrayed with a flower. It inspired me to making this painting.



Roseicollis are popular lovebirds; they are cute and beautiful with the red and pink rose on the face, the different shades of green and the bright blue rump.

Other names are Rosy-faced lovebird or Peach-faced lovebird. The first description of this bird comes from another French ornithologist Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot; the third Perroquet volume testifies of this. Vieillot placed the bird with the genus Psittacula (Psittacus roseicollis) but later it was moved to the genus Agapornis with the other lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis).
In the book it is called “La Perruche a gorge rose” (parakeet with pink throat).

The species is native in Angola, Namibia and South Africa. It is introduced in Puerto Rico. The IUCN category is “least concern”.

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