Pet Birds - Parrot

African Grey Parrot

The African Grey Parrot is a large parrot of the genus Psittacus, native to Africa. As the name implies, the African Grey Parrot is predominantly grey, with accents of white and a red or maroon tail depending on the subspecies. Greys, like all parrots, are zygodactyl, having 4 toes on each foot—two front and two back. They feed primarily on nuts and fruits, supplemented by leafy matter.

While comparative judgements of animal intelligence are always very difficult to make objectively, Psittaciformes are generally regarded as being amongst the most intelligent of birds. African Grey Parrots are particularly noted for their cognitive abilities, which are believed to have evolved as a consequence of their history of cooperative feeding on the ground in central Africa.

Irene Pepperberg's research with captive African Greys including Alex have shown that these parrots are capable of using human words with their human meanings, at least to some extent. Ambitious claims of language use have also been made for another African Grey, called N'kisi; in the eyes of most experts in animal cognition, however, these claims are cast into some doubt by the fact that this bird has also been claimed to exhibit powers of telepathy.

When African Greys are kept as pets they have special needs due to their incredible intelligence. Pet owners often refer to their relationship with them as being "like having a five year old child." They love to play and require intellectually stimulating toys for their mental well-being. They have the fascinating ability to recreate sounds and can learn to imitate as many as 5,000 words.

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There are two subspecies:

• Congo African Grey Parrot, Psittacus erithacus erithacus
• Timneh African Grey Parrot, Psittacus erithacus timneh

Congo Afrian Greys (CAGs) are larger birds with light grey feathers, deep red tails and black beaks. The other subspecies, Timneh African Greys (TAGs), are smaller in size, have a darker charcoal grey coloring, a darker maroon tail, and a lighter horn colored beak. A few authors recognize a third subspecies, Ghana African Grey (Psittacus erithacus princeps), which is similar to CAG, but darker and slightly smaller.

The history of African Greys kept as pets dates back over 4,000 years. Some Egyptian hieroglyphics clearly depict pet parrots. The ancient Greeks also valued parrots as pets, and this custom was later adopted by the Romans. Wealthy Roman families often kept parrots in ornate cages, and parrots were prized for their ability to talk. King Henry VIII of England also had an African Grey parrot. Today, both wild caught and captive bred African Greys are kept as pets.

References

1. Julie Rach; (1998) The African Grey : An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet Howell Book House. ISBN 0876054432
2. W.T. Greene; African Grey Parrots Beech Publishing House. ISBN 1857360273
3. E. J. Mulawka; (1984) African Grey Parrots TFH Publications. ISBN 0866229752
4. Tony Juniper and Mike Parr; (1998) Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World Yale University Press. ISBN 0300074530