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| An Introduction To African Greys Latin: Psitticus erithicus Origin: Africa Sub-species: Congo African Grey, Timneh African Grey |
| African Grey parrots are mainly grey all over their body, with bright red tail feathers and a white eye patch. The feathers that cover the underside of their bellies are a light grey colour. They have dark grey feet and an almost black beak. Very young birds have dark eyes, but as they age they progress to a straw-like colour and then a yellow colour in adult life. On average, Greys grow to about 13 inches and are classed as large parrots. There are two sub-species- the Congo African Grey (as pictured above) and the Timneh African Grey. Timneh's have a slightly duller red tail and a bone coloured patch on their upper mandibil. Probably the most popular and widly kept parrot in the UK, African greys are fantastic companion parrots. Greys are not particularly loud or screamers. Instead they talk, mimic noises, whistle and 'sing'. Greys are renound for their excellent talking capability. However, they are capable of so much more and should not be purchased for this reason alone. Greys have a reputation for being 'one person birds'. This wouldn't be so in many cases if the bird was socialised with many different people from a young age and 'de-sensitised' to strangers. They also have a reputation for being cold, independent birds. Independent-yes, cold-definitely not! My Grey, Tikki loves cuddles, snuggling under the bed covers and generally being affectionate. African Greys are extremely intelligent. They can associate words, objects and people and communicate with us. An example of this is Dr Irene Pepperberg's Grey, Alex-probably the most famous parrot in the world. |
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