Grey parrot

The grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus), also known as the Congo grey parrot, is an African parrot in the family Psittacidae. These birds have bright feathers and very clever minds. They can often learn to talk, repeating words and phrases. Grey parrots live in forests across Africa and enjoy being with others of their kind.

Psittacus erithacus was also called the African grey parrot before. The Timneh parrot (Psittacus timneh), once thought to be a smaller type of grey parrot, is now considered its own species. Grey parrots are very smart and make popular pets when they get the right care. In the wild, they are important members of their habitats.

Taxonomy

The grey parrot was first described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus. He named it Psittacus erithacus and placed it in the genus Psittacus, which means "parrot" in Latin.

The grey parrot has no accepted subspecies. It was once thought that the Timneh parrot was a subspecies, but studies show they are different species. Some checklists still list the Príncipe grey parrot as a subspecies, but others classify it under the Timneh parrot.

Description

The grey parrot is a medium to large bird with mostly grey feathers and a black bill. It usually weighs about 400 g (14 oz) and measures around 33 cm (13 in) long, with a wingspan of 46–52 cm (18–20½ in). The head and wings are darker than the body, and the tail feathers are red.

Both male and female grey parrots look similar. Young parrots look much like adults, but their eyes are dark grey to black, while adults have yellow irises. Grey parrots can live for many years when kept as pets. They begin breeding at 3–5 years old and lay a few eggs at a time.

Distribution and habitat

The grey parrot lives in equatorial Africa, including countries such as Angola, Cameroon, the Congo, and Kenya. These birds like to live in dense forests but can also be found near forest edges and in open areas like savannas. Their numbers are getting smaller because many are taken to be pets and forests are being cut down for timber.

Some places, like Ghana, have lost many grey parrots over the years. In other areas, such as Cameroon, the populations seem to stay about the same. In South Florida, some grey parrots have been seen after escaping or being released, but they do not breed there naturally.

Behaviour and ecology in the wild

Grey parrots are interesting birds that live in the wild across Africa. They are hard to study because they are cautious. But we do know that they can copy many sounds they hear, just like parrots that live with people. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, scientists recorded two wild grey parrots that could make over 200 different calls, including sounds made by other birds and even a bat.

These parrots mostly eat fruit, nuts, and seeds. They also enjoy flowers, tree bark, insects, and snails. They often search for food on the ground. When it is time to have baby parrots, a male and female pair stay together and build their nest inside a hollow tree. The female lays three to five eggs and sits on them for 30 days while the male brings her food. After the eggs hatch, both parents care for the baby parrots until they are old enough to leave the nest around 12 weeks later.

Conservation

Grey parrots face many dangers in the wild. Animals like palm-nut vultures and raptors attack them, and monkeys eat their eggs and young. But the biggest threat comes from humans. Many grey parrots are captured and sold, with thousands traded each year. Sadly, many birds do not survive the journey to the market.

Because of these threats and loss of habitat, grey parrots are now considered endangered. In 2016, they were given special protection under international law to help stop illegal trading. In some places, like Kenya, owners must have special permits to keep these birds legally.

In captivity

Grey parrots are popular pets because they can copy human speech. They like to copy sounds they hear and need lots of attention and things to do to stay happy. Without enough care, they can feel stressed and may pull out their feathers.

These birds are very smart and can learn to understand and use words correctly. They can even make up new words for things they don’t know the names of. Scientists have studied their intelligence and found they can do tasks similar to human children aged four to six. They can also show kindness by sharing with others, even if it means going without themselves.

Diet

When kept as pets, grey parrots can eat bird pellets, fruits like apples and oranges, and vegetables such as carrots and peas. They also need calcium to stay healthy.

Disease

Grey parrots can get sick from infections, tumors, and diseases like psittacine beak and feather disease. Young birds are more likely to get this disease, which can change how their feathers look and affect how they move.

Intelligence and cognition

Grey parrots are very smart and can do tasks like a child aged four to six. They can learn number sequences, connect names with faces, and even make new words for objects using words they know. For example, they might say "banerry" for "apple" if they know "banana" and "cherry."

Research by scientist Irene Pepperberg with a parrot named Alex showed that they can add numbers and understand the idea of zero. Grey parrots have also shown they can share with others and have favorite songs they like to dance and sing to.

Some studies suggest that the way a grey parrot uses its feet might be linked to how many words it knows, with right-footed parrots knowing more words than left-footed ones. This has led scientists to think that parrots may have lateralization of brain function, similar to mammals.

Mutations

Grey parrots can have natural colour changes, such as the Blue Ino (all white), Incomplete Ino (light colour), and Blue (white tail). Through breeding, other colour types have been created, including Red Pied, F2 Pied, Grizzles, Ino, Incomplete, Parino, Lutino, Cinnamon, and Red Factor. The Red Factor type, first bred by South African and New Zealand breeders, can be mostly red and the price changes based on how much red colour it has.

History

Grey parrots have been kept as pets since around 2000 B.C. We can see pictures of them in ancient Egyptian writings. The Greeks and the Romans liked them very much and kept them in special cages. In 2016, grey parrots were listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List because of worries about illegal trading.