Hand Fed African Grey - Psittacus erithacus

Noise Level & Talking Ability

African greys are excellent talkers and mimics, these birds can accurately imitate specific human voices and household noises such as the doorbell, telephone, or microwave. There is still some debate over whether the African Grey parrot is merely a superb mimic or truly understands some of what it says. These birds possess an uncanny knack for using words in a situationally appropriate manner leading some people to believe they have similar mental capabilities of a three-to-five-year-old human child. African greys are capable of producing loud noises, but generally are fairly quiet. They are recommended to people in detached housing but can be suitable for apartments. 

Physical Features 

Congo African Grey parrots are overall grey. The head and belly are a lighter shade of grey. Many of the feathers on the neck and head have a lighter edge, which gives light striations. They have a rather large bare patch around their eye; extending from the beak to behind the eye, and quite uniformly above and below the eye. The cere is pale grey and blends into the bare patch. In birds around 18 months or older the iris is pale yellow. In young birds the iris is a greyish blue. The beak is black and longer than it is wide. The tail base and low abdomen are very light grey. The legs and feet are dark grey. The tail is bright red, short, and wedge-shaped.

Pet Profile

African greys are extremely intelligent birds. They can pick up tricks and speech quickly. They can be shy at times and are very in tune with their surroundings. If there is stress in the environment, they will be stressed so it is important to always be as confident as you can when handling these birds. They are generally more content around a mature audience than younger children. Some people will consider African Greys shy, but this is more a result of the birds intelligence level. They need to form trust and a bond with new people. 

Diet

African Grey Parrots do well eating a fairly standard parrot pellet, supplemented with fresh vegetables, some fruit, and seeds / nuts as treats. African Greys do benefit from a little extra calcium in their diet, so access to a cuttlebone, mineral block, or keeping this in mind when preparing fresh foods is recommended.
It is unfortunately common to see people feeding these parrots almost exclusively seed diets. Often mixes that are heavy in sunflower, peanuts, and sometimes dried fruits. It is not usually recommended to feed excessive amounts of sunflower or dried fruits due to high fats and sugars, respectively. Peanuts are at an elevated risk of harbouring fungal spores, however all nuts are at some amount of risk here, so it is important to ensure you purchase treats from trusted, quality sources. Pellets and fresh water should always be available, fresh vegetables should be given as often as possible, and seeds / nuts should only be provided in a controlled, relatively small daily amount. 

Housing

Provide overhead misters or shallow water bowls for bathing; foot toys, destructible (non-toxic) toys, non-destructible (non-toxic plastic) toys, food-finder toys, preening toys, different texture and size hanging perch toys; fir, pine, elder or willow branches, push-and-pull toys (sliding up and down), vegetable-tanned leather toys. Introduce with care, as Greys are sensitive to novel things.
In particular, Greys love toys that make them solve puzzles to reach some kind of treat inside. It's fascinating to watch them work out the solution to the puzzle, and once initially solved, they reach subsequent treats placed within the toys in a matter of seconds.

Breeding Information

Wild Status

Decreasing - Endangered
Last assessed April 2020 for the IUCN Red List.