African Parrots - The African Grey

African Parrots - The African Grey

One of the more popular species of African parrot that is kept as a pet is the African Grey parrot and the reason is that not only are they attractive to look at, they are also highly intelligent and importantly they are one of the easier species of parrot to care for.

There are actually 2 varieties of African Grey, the Timneh African grey and the Congo African grey. They both grow in size to around 10 - 14 inches, so they are a medium sized parrot. The Congo African grey is distinguished by lighter grey coloring and red tail feathers. The Timneh is more charcoal in color, a darker grey and has maroon tail feathers.

As their name suggest these birds originate from in and around the central regions of Africa an area which is located on the equator, which in turn means that these birds are not only acclimatized to warm weather but also having between 8-12 hours of sunlight all of the year round. This is important when you creating a suitable home environment for your African Grey as you need to replicate these conditions as closely as is practical for you at home. Your parrot's cage must be placed in a location out of any drafts, so usually away from doorways or main walk ways through the house and in order to receive the sufficient amount of sunlight required you will need to purchase a full spectrum light. It is not adequate to place your birdcage by a window even if you are lucky enough to get anywhere near 8-12 hours of daylight because domestic windows block the essential UVB and UVA rays that parrots need as an essential part of their health.

The African Grey is reasonably expected to live to 60 years old and beyond depending on its diet and environment but certainly living this long is a common occurrence in the wild without any unnatural exterior factors imposing themselves. With such a long life expectancy for a pet you need to take careful consideration before choosing to adopt an African parrot as they are a long term commitment and may well outlive their owner.

African Grey's are very intelligent and have even been compared by some scientists and experts to having the intelligence of a dolphin or a chimpanzee. This makes for very entertaining company for you but it also means that your bird will need mental stimulation in the form of interaction or playing with their parrot toys, otherwise you could risk your parrot becoming bored which is a common occurrence. This boredom often leads to behavioral problems for your bird and they may well start picking their own feathers or become much more vocal and boisterous than normal. Also your parrot's behavior may well deteriorate if you change their daily schedule or their surroundings.

African parrots, especially African Grey's make wonderful pets because of their personality and intelligence and they are often trained to actually talk and can develop quite a large vocabulary as well as mimic sounds but hopefully you now have a small insight into some of the basics that you are required by you in order to get the best out of your parrot and keep them happy and healthy.