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African grey parrot 4K
Of all the talking parrots, the African grey parrot is one of the most amazing. Its intelligence is such that it not only talks but understands what it’s hearing and what it’s saying back. Unfortunately, this parrot is in such demand as a pet that it is endangered in the wild.
Here are five facts about the fabulous African grey parrot:
This parrot is the second most sought-after parrot to have as a pet, and the price reflects that. The price of an African grey ranges from $1,500 to $3,500, and maintenance costs add up to about $3,200 a year.
An estimated 21 percent of African grey parrots are collected for the pet trade every year, and 60 to 66 percent do not live to become someone’s pet. This is one reason why the bird’s conservation status is endangered.
Biologists believed that the Timneh parrot was a subspecies of the African grey parrot, but it’s now considered its own species. Like the grey, the Timneh is a popular pet.
Pet grey parrots have their favorite music. When their favorite song comes on, they dance and sing along to it.
Right-footed parrots seem to know and use more words than left-footed parrots
Scientific Name
The African grey parrot’s scientific name is Psittacus erithacus. Psittacus is simply Latin for “parrot.” Erithacus is an ancient Greek word and seems to refer to a bird such as the European robin. While Erithacus is the epithet for the African grey parrot, it is the genus name for the European robin, Erithacus rubecula. There is now only one species of P. erithacus.
The appearance of the African grey parrot is unmistakable. It is medium-sized for a parrot, and the colors of its feathers are mostly shades of gray, though it has a startling red tail. Some of the feathers have a white edge that makes the bird’s plumage especially elegant. The colors of adults and juveniles are a bit different. Adult birds have yellow irises, while the irises of chicks are dark, and their tails are grayer. The parrot grows to around 13 inches long, has an 18 to 20.5-inch wingspan, and weighs between 14.75 and 18.5 ounces.
Behavior
African grey parrots are very gregarious birds, which is why they are rather high-maintenance pets. Their intelligence demands mental stimulation, either from their owner or ideally, another grey parrot or two. Though they are difficult to study in the wild, even wild birds are excellent mimics of other birds.
Though each parrot family has its tree to nest in, they congregate in huge flocks to roost in trees. Unlike other parrots, their flocks do not contain other species of parrots.
They are quiet during the night, then at dawn, they use vocalizations to warn of danger, beg for food, and identify each other. It might sound like a lot of screaming to humans, but the vocalizations are complex and have to be learned by juveniles.
Because they need to learn a great deal about how to be a grey parrot, juveniles can stay with their families for years. During these years, grey parrots need to learn how to find food and water, how to defend their territory, and how to identify potential predators and avoid them. They also need to learn how to establish and defend their nesting sites and raise chicks. This leads to grey parrots becoming quite aggressive with each other when it comes to finding nest holes. On the other hand, grey parrots can be altruistic and share food with other grey parrots.
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