Information on African Grey Parrots

The African Grey parrot possesses an extraordinary combination of brains and beauty. Most African Greys will begin talking at around one year old and go on speaking for the rest of their lives, which last between 50 and 70 years. African Greys are expensive pets; the average bird costs between $1,000 and $1,500 dollars.

  1. History

    • African Grey Parrots originated from central Africa and have been companions for more than 4,000 years. Egyptians were the first society to keep African Greys as pets. Their fondness for the bird is depicted in hieroglyphics. Greeks adopted the Egyptian tradition of keeping Greys and were later followed by wealthy Roman families who valued the beautiful parrots and kept them in intricately decorated cages. King Henry VIII of England kept an African Grey parrot by his side.

    Types

    • There are two types of African Grey parrots, the Congo Grey and the Timneh African Grey. The Congo is the larger of the two subspecies, weighing about one pound. Its plumage is light gray, in contrast to its bright red tail. Timneh African Greys weigh slightly less, at approximately half a pound, with dark gray plumage and maroon tails. Both species have white around their dark eyes and black beaks. In adulthood, they reach between 10 and 14 inches in height, placing them in the medium size range for parrots.

    Personality

    • African Greys have wonderful characters and exciting personalities. Building a relationship with an African Grey takes a lot of work, time and love, but the effort pays off in a rewarding relationship with a lifelong friend. Once a parrot bonds with you, it mates for life, so make sure you are prepared and able to take care of it for its lengthy lifetime. Parrots bite, scream and demand a lot of attention, which at first may be manageable when in one's twenties, but might not seem as tolerable later in life.

    Intelligence

    • Greys are skilled mimickers and are intelligent parrots. They often possess a large vocabulary, with the ability to mimic sounds and voices almost perfectly. It is not uncommon for a parrot owner to hear the phone ringing, toilet flushing or door squeaking while their African Grey is running through the list of sounds it knows. Irene Pepperburg's in-depth research, detailed in her book "Alex &Me," showed that African Greys actually associate human words with their meanings.

      Their amazing intellect does present downfalls, though. Greys become bored if they aren't properly stimulated and can adopt negative behavior problems like feather plucking, excessive screaming and destructive chewing.

    Considerations

    • Although African Greys can make exceptional pets, with the ability to become great talkers, it takes a devoted bird lover to handle these parrots on a daily basis. African Greys require large cages or aviaries, proper diets and undivided attention for several hours a day.