The African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus), also known as the Grey Parrot, is a medium-sized parrot found in the primary and secondary rainforest of West and Central Africa. Experts regard it as one of the most intelligent birds. They feed primarily on palm nuts, seeds, fruits, leafy matter, but have been observed eating snails. Their overall gentle nature and their inclination and ability to mimic speech have made them popular pets. This has led many to be captured from the wild and sold into the pet trade. The African Grey Parrot is listed on CITES appendix II, which restricts trade of wild caught species, because wild populations cannot sustain trapping for the pet trade. As a pet, they must be entertained, or they start to pluck their feathers. With good care and diet, the African Grey parrot can live up to 70 years of age in captivity.

The African grey parrot is one of the most popular pet parrots available. Many people get the name of the parrot wrong and in fact spell African grey parrot as ‘African gray parrot’. This is indeed wrong but if you made a mistake then don’t worry about it! This article will endeavor to explain everything there is to know about the African grey parrot or the African gray parrot!

What Do They Look Like?

As you would have probably guessed already, the African grey parrot is mostly grey all over with a shade of grey around the facial region. Their beaks are generally black and they have a tinge of red underlying beneath their tails that help them to stand out from many other grey parrots. They come from the Congo region in Africa and are constantly hunted by traffickers due to the fact that they can sell for quite a lot of money in Western parts of the world.

Efforts are being made to stop this from occurring and in recent history there seems to be a reduction in the number of birds being trafficked overseas. This has also sparked a revival in their overall numbers in the wild which means things are starting to look up for the African grey.

There are two subspecies universally accepted:

1) Congo African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus erithacus):

This is the nominate subspecies, larger than the Timneh at about 33 cm (13 in) long, with light grey feathers, cherry red tails, and an all black beak.

2) Timneh African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus timneh):

These are smaller in size, have a darker charcoal grey colouring, a darker maroon tail, and a light, horn-coloured area to part of the upper mandible. The timneh grey parrot is endemic to the western parts of the moist Upper Guinea forests and bordering savannas of West Africa from Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Southern Mali east to at least 70 km (43 mi) east of the Bandama River in Ivory Coast.

What Are They Like To Train?

African grey parrots are one of the most brilliant breeds on Earth and are said to be one of the best speakers out of all the parrots. They have the ability to put together whole phrases and can actually learn quite fast. This is one of the major reasons why so many parrot owners choose to own African grays.

Is There Anything I Should Know Before I decide To Buy An African Grey Parrot?

Yes actually there is a lot you need to learn before you going out and buy your own. First of all you have to make sure you know where you are getting your parrot from as many of them are trafficked into the country as was discussed previously in the article. Secondly if you have no experience whatsoever in parrot handling, I would recommend starting off with a bird that is much easier to handle such as a budgie for example.

Lastly African grey parrots are animals that thrive on enthusiasm and attention. If you know you aren’t going to be able to spend enough time looking after and training your parrot then do the right thing and let someone who does have a go. There are too many people out there abusing the privilege of owning such magnificent creatures just so they can tell their friends that they own a parrot.

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