African Grey Bird - The Most Interesting and Challenging Parrot

Just my own opinion of course and don't be offended if you don't agree. I personally like the African Grey Bird because it is one of the most intelligent and sensitive of the parrot family. As the name suggests they originate from Central Africa and come in two varieties, the Congo African Grey and the Timneh African Grey.

Just my own opinion of course and don't be offended if you don't agree. I personally like the African Grey Bird because it is one of the most intelligent and sensitive of the parrot family.

As the name suggests they originate from Central Africa and come in two varieties, the Congo African Grey and the Timneh African Grey.

The Congo African Grey has grey plumage with a lighter grey on the body. The feathers on the head have white edging and the eyes are surrounded by bare white skin. The distinctive red tail and black beak give this lovely bird it's distinctive look and the alternative name of the Red Tailed Grey. They vary in size from beak to tail from twelve to fourteen inches in length and can vary in weight from four hundred to about six hundred and fifty grams.

The Timneh African Grey is a darker grey with the same light grey shades on the body. They have the distinctive white eye area of the Greys but have a bone coloured upper beak and a tail that is more maroon than red. They also tend to be smaller than the Congo African Grey coming in at between nine and eleven inches in length and weighing in at between two seventy five and four hundred grams.

African Greys are the true speakers of the parrot world and have been known to develop a vocabulary of up to two thousand words. Bearing in mind that looked after properly and given the right diet they can live for up to seventy years they certainly have the time to pick up good and bad words spoken around them, so be careful what they listen to!

Unfortunately not all African Grey talk and when you buy one it doesn't come with a guarantee so don't let speech be your main reason for getting one. These are hugely intelligent birds and extremely affectionate. In the wild they are used to living in flocks and communicating and they will treat you as their flock, sensing your mood and acting accordingly.

Greys can take up to two years to start talking. You can gauge their age when you get them from the colour of their eyes which change colour as they age. As babies they will have dark grey to black eyes until they are roughly six months of age when their eyes start to lighten in colour. By the time they are a year old their eyes are a light grey colour which changes to a straw colour at between one and a half and two years of age. By the time they reach three to four years of age they will have a pale yellow iris, so eye colour can give you a good indication of age in a young African Grey.

They are very intelligent birds and although a little reserved, once you have befriended a grey they will stay loyal to you. They need to have a challenging environment with plenty of toys to keep them entertained and need to be included within the family. The worst thing you could do with a Grey is shut it away from its 'flock'.

Although they are one of the most demanding parrots, I still believe that they are one of the most rewarding of the parrot family.

Article Tags: African Grey Bird, Congo African Grey, African Grey, Grey Bird, Congo African