My wife and I were thrilled to watch a small flock of at least five Rosy Faced Lovebirds from our balcony in Morningside. They appeared to be nesting under the eves of a house, but despite many later sightings, they have not re-visited that particular house, so perhaps they were just exploring possible nesting sites.

They are indigenous to Namibia and are not found naturally in South Africa. However, they are a popular cage bird and it would seem that these had escaped or been released and then started breeding. This could well lead to a growing population in Johannesburg’s urban forrest. There is already a significant number of Rose-Ringed Parakeets, also an escaped cage bird that breeds well in the Parks area of Johannesburg.