African Grey Parrots are a medium-sized parrot in the genus Psittacus, found mostly in the rainforests of Africa, and is considered to be the most intelligent bird. They feed primarily on nuts and fruits, supplemented by leafy matter.
There are two known subspecies, the Congo African Grey Parrot and the slightly smaller Timneh African Grey Parrot. Both subspecies are predominantly grey. They have dark grey wings and a pale grey rump. The head and neck feathers have paler edges, giving that part of the body a scalloped appearance. The Congo African Grey's tail is red and the Timneh African Grey's is dark maroon.
The African Grey Parrot is popular as a pet parrot, especially the Congo African Grey Parrot, partly because of its talking ability. The African Grey Parrot is listed as an endangered species and is protected by CITES.
African Grey parrots are hand-reared by breeders for the pet trade, and they can make wonderful and very affectionate pets if trained the proper way. A good program for parrot training can be found at this site Parrot Training.
African Grey parrots can very high-maintenance pets, as they require daily attention and interaction and many hours each day out of their cages. A minimum of three hours out of cage daily and at least 30-45 minutes of physical interaction is needed for good mental health of the bird. African Greys, particularly Congo African Greys, tend to bond solely with the person who cares for them most and can be shy of strangers if they do not interact with different people regularly. African Grey Parrots are very social animals, they will benefit from being kept in the company of other birds.
There are two known subspecies, the Congo African Grey Parrot and the slightly smaller Timneh African Grey Parrot. Both subspecies are predominantly grey. They have dark grey wings and a pale grey rump. The head and neck feathers have paler edges, giving that part of the body a scalloped appearance. The Congo African Grey's tail is red and the Timneh African Grey's is dark maroon.
The African Grey Parrot is popular as a pet parrot, especially the Congo African Grey Parrot, partly because of its talking ability. The African Grey Parrot is listed as an endangered species and is protected by CITES.
African Grey parrots are hand-reared by breeders for the pet trade, and they can make wonderful and very affectionate pets if trained the proper way. A good program for parrot training can be found at this site Parrot Training.
African Grey parrots can very high-maintenance pets, as they require daily attention and interaction and many hours each day out of their cages. A minimum of three hours out of cage daily and at least 30-45 minutes of physical interaction is needed for good mental health of the bird. African Greys, particularly Congo African Greys, tend to bond solely with the person who cares for them most and can be shy of strangers if they do not interact with different people regularly. African Grey Parrots are very social animals, they will benefit from being kept in the company of other birds.