The African grey parrot is one of the most talented talking/ mimicking birds on the planet, giving it quite a reputation among bird enthusiasts. Not only do bird keepers love this intelligent bird, it’s one of the most recognizable species to bird novices as well - everyone knows the African grey parrot. This parrot is one of the oldest psitticine species kept by humans, with records of the bird dating back to biblical times.
The grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus), also known as the Congo grey parrot, is an African parrot in the family Psittacidae. The grey parrot was formally described in 1758 by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of Systema Naturae. He placed it with all other parrots in the genus Psittacus and coined the binomial name Psittacus erithacus. The genus name is Latin for "parrot".
Anatomy and Appearance
African grey parrots have an uncanny ability to mimic speech. They grow to be up to 13 inches in length, and are Africa’s largest parrot. The grey parrot is medium to large sized, predominantly grey and black-billed. Its typical weight is 400 g (14 oz), with an approximate length of 33 cm (13 in), and a wingspan of 46-52 cm (18-20+1⁄2 in). The head and wings are generally darker than the body.
Their plumage can be various colors of grey, usually slightly darker on the wings and back, with a dramatic crimson tail. Like most parrots, the African grey has a hooked beak that is incredibly strong.
An African Grey Parrot in Kruger National Park, South Africa
There are two distinct subspecies of the African grey parrot: the Congo African grey (Psittacus erithacus erithacus), also called the red-tailed grey and the CAG, and the Timneh African grey (Psittacus erithacus timneh), or TAG. The CAG is more popular of the two subspecies, being larger and having a scarlet tail and black beak. The Timneh African grey (or TAG for short) is smaller than the more popular Congo African grey (CAG). The TAG is smaller with a much darker gray body, nearly black, with a horn-colored beak, and its tail ranges in color from maroon to dark gray or black.
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Often the large Congo greys were “Cameroons” because they were once thought to be a subspecies from that area, but in truth, the larger birds were smuggled into Cameroon and had that country listed on their export papers. These birds tend to come in a variety of sizes and shades of gray because their natural habitat is so large.
Breeding and Lifespan
While few facts are known about wild African grey parrot courtship, it is known that they are monogamous. The average clutch, or number of eggs laid in one nest, for the African grey is two to four eggs. The hen lays three to five eggs, which she incubates for 30 days while being fed by her mate. The female incubates them alone, while her mate brings her food. Grey parrot chicks require feeding and care from their parents in the nest. The parents take care of them until 4-5 weeks after they are fledged. Young leave the nest at the age of 12 weeks. Grey parrots are monogamous breeders who nest in tree cavities. Each mated pair of parrots needs their own tree for their nest.
Grey parrots may live for 40-60 years in captivity, although their mean lifespan in the wild appears to be shorter - approximately 23 years.
Habitat of the African Grey Parrot
Habitat and Distribution
African greys are found throughout the lowland rainforests in western and central Africa. The grey parrot is native to equatorial Africa, including Angola, Cameroon, the Congo, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda. The species is found inside a range from Kenya to the eastern part of Ivory Coast.
While they prefer to inhabit the rainforest, they have also been seen on forest edges, within gallery forests (which are forests located alongside streams or rivers), and in gardens. At night they move away from feeding areas and roost together in groups; it is common to see over 100 birds perched in one tree! They communicate with each other through high-pitched screams and clear whistles.
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Diet and Nutrition
Climbing up a tree from branch to branch, instead of flying, the African grey collects seeds, nuts, fruit, and berries. Grey parrots are mainly frugivorous, with most of their diet consisting of fruit, nuts, and seeds, including oil palm fruit.
African grey parrots are more prone to deficiency in vitamin-A/beta-carotene, and therefore benefit from eating vegetables high in beta-carotene, such as cooked sweet potato and fresh kale. Vitamin-D deficiency is another concern, especially for greys on a poor diet.
Offering a balanced, pelleted diet, such as Nutri-Berries, for the main diet of an African grey helps prevent vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Nutri-Berries by Lafeber Company are perfect for foraging. This complete food blends a balance of grains, seeds, and other nutrients in the shape of a berry. Because the grains and seeds are mostly whole and formed into a berry shape, it encourages African greys to hold, nibble, and even play with the Nutri-Berries.
Behavior and Intelligence
Much of the grey’s appeal comes from its talking ability. It is among the best talkers in the parrot family, able to repeat words and phrases after hearing them just once or twice. Not only will a grey develop an outstanding vocabulary, research has shown that this species can come to understand what it’s saying.
African grey owners often report that their greys oftentimes talk in context and seem very attuned to their people’s emotions. The African grey parrot’s ability to talk and mimic sounds makes this medium-sized parrot a captivating companion.
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Grey parrots are notorious for mimicking noises heard in their environment and using them tirelessly. They are highly intelligent birds, needing extensive behavioural and social enrichment as well as extensive attention in captivity or else they may become distressed.
They are highly intelligent and are considered to be one of the most intelligent species of psittacines. Many individuals have been shown to perform some tasks at the cognitive level of a four- to six-year-old human child. Several studies have been conducted indicating a suite of higher-level cognitive abilities.
The grey parrot is a highly social species which relies on a flock-type structure, even when raised in captivity. Because they are so dependent on the other birds within their flock, much of their speech and vocal ability is acquired through interaction with the humans with whom they reside.
Both wild and captive parrots have been shown to use contact calls, which allow them to interact with their flock mates and communicate information about their location, detection of predators, availability of food, and safety status. In addition, contact calls are used to form strong social bonds with their flock mates, or in the case of captive greys, with their human housemates.
The most famous CAG, Alex, and his colleague, Dr. Irene Pepperberg, may be the reason for the popularity of this species, and certainly for its high profile. Alex and Dr. Pepperberg worked together for 30 years at Brandeis University until his unfortunate death in 2007, due to a catastrophic event associated to arteriosclerosis (“hardening of the arteries”). In their three decades of research, Dr. Pepperberg taught Alex to recognize and identify objects, colors, and shapes. Alex could also understand the concepts of same and different, category, and could even count objects. Though Alex was on his way to much more complex thought processes, including how to read, his fellow African greys Griffin and Arthur (AKA “Wart”) are continuing to work with Dr.
American scientist Irene Pepperberg's research with Alex the parrot showed his ability to learn more than 100 words, differentiating between objects, colours, materials and shapes. Pepperberg spent several decades working with Alex, and wrote numerous scientific papers on experiments performed, indicating the bird's advanced cognitive abilities.
In addition to their striking cognitive abilities, grey parrots have displayed altruistic behaviour and concern for others. Researchers found that while blue-headed macaws were unlikely to share a nut with other members of their own species, grey parrots would actively give their conspecific partner a nut even if it meant they would not be able to get one themselves. When the roles were reversed, their partners were overwhelmingly likely to return the favour, forgoing their own nut to their partner's benefits.
A 2012 study demonstrated that captive grey parrots have individual musical preferences. Some research has shown that foot preference can be linked to the number of words a particular parrot may know and use.
But just because greys are smart and may choose to talk rather than scream, it’s a mistake to believe that they aren’t noisy. They aren’t as loud or persistent as some of the South American species, but they will learn household sounds and use them tirelessly to the dismay of guardians.
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Care and Considerations as Pets
Most bird keepers believe that only an experienced bird enthusiast should keep a grey. They are complex parrots, highly sensitive, and more than a little demanding. They are also charming and brilliant, but this match of sensitivity and brains can lead to behavioral issues. They are creatures of habit, and even a small change in routine can make a sensitive grey unhappy. They are prone to plucking and chewing their feathers, among other bad habits. Anecdotally, the TAG has a hardier attitude and may be better for households with a lot of people coming and going.
African greys are social parrots that need a lot of hands-on time, however, they aren’t “cuddlebugs.” They will tolerate some head scratching and a little bit of petting, but they do not appreciate intense physical contact, though some individuals don’t mind a little snuggling. Every bird has individual tastes and preferences.
African greys need plenty of toys that challenge their intelligence, such as foraging and puzzle toys.
Grey parrots in captivity have been observed to be susceptible to fungal infections, bacterial infections, nutritional insufficiency, malignant tumors, psittacine beak and feather disease, tapeworms, and blood-worms. Young grey parrots are more commonly infected by psittacine beak and feather disease than adults. Grey parrots are more likely to have rhinitis, an inflammatory and infectious disease of the nasal cavity. Birds may exhibit signs such as wheezing, sneezing, nasal snuffling, and swelling or occlusion of the nares.
Threats and Conservation Status
The African grey parrot became listed as ‘near threatened’ in 2007 due to its popularity in the pet industry. It is the most popular avian pet in Europe, the US, and the Middle East due to its incredible ability to mimic the human voice as well as its long lifespan. It is thought that up to 21% of the global population is harvested every year.
Distribution Map of the African Grey Parrot
Current estimates for the global population are uncertain and range from 630,000 to 13 million birds. A population study published in 2015 found that the species had been "virtually eliminated" from Ghana with numbers declining 90 to 99% since 1992. They were found in only 10 of 42 forested areas, and three roosts that once held 700-1200 birds each, now had only 18 in total. Local people mainly blamed the pet trade and the felling of timber for the decline.
Natural predators for this species include palm-nut vultures and several raptors. Humans are by far the largest threat to wild grey populations. Between 1994 and 2003, more than 359,000 grey parrots were traded on the international market. Approximately 21% of the wild population was being harvested every year.
In 2021, the Kenyan government held a short amnesty, during which grey parrot owners could pay a fee to obtain a permit for their birds and facilitate legal ownership.
Populations are thought to be stable in Cameroon. Little is known about the behaviour and activities of these birds in the wild. In addition to a lack of research funding, it can be particularly difficult to study these birds in wild situations due to their status as prey animals, which leads them to have rather secretive personalities. It has been shown that wild grey parrots may also imitate a wide variety of sounds they hear, much like their captive relatives.
Grey mutations occur naturally in the wild, such as the Blue Ino (albino), the Incomplete Ino, and the Blue varieties. The Blue Ino is all white. The Incomplete Ino has light pigmentation. Due to selection by breeders, some captive grey parrots are partly or completely red.
Breeders from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Scandinavia have bred grey parrots intensively since the 1800s. These bred varieties include the Red Pied, F2 Pied, Grizzles, Ino, Incomplete, Parino, Lutino, Cinnamon, and Red Factor. South African bird breeder Von van Antwerpen and New Zealand partner Jaco Bosman selected F2 Pieds and created the first Red Factor Greys.
African grey parrots are more likely to be available in avian-specialty stores or from a bird breeder. Have Questions? Lafeber is a family company dedicated to its customers and the health of all animals.
