Fischer's lovebird  (Agapornis fischeri)

Despites its restricted range, Fischer's lovebird used to be very common, until the 1970s when numbers began to drastically decline, due primarily to widespread trapping for the wild bird trade (1). In 1987, Fischer's lovebird was the most commonly traded bird in the world (1), which gives an indication of the extent of its devastating exploitation.

Luckily, trapping of Fischer's lovebird for export is no longer legal (1), and it is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), meaning that any international trade in this species should be carefully regulated (4). Large flocks of Fischer's lovebird still occur in a few areas, such as Serengeti National Park (7), but in many areas population numbers still remain low, and the constant threat of a re-start in the wild bird trade hangs over this lovebird (1). Large numbers of Fischer's lovebird remain in captivity outside of their natural range (6), which, whilst an outcome of the trade that put the lovebird in a precarious position, may be important should captive breeding and reintroduction ever be required to save this species. However, with careful management of the wild bird trade, and with the continued enforcement of protected areas, hopefully this ‘last resort' strategy will never be needed.