Learn with me some of the most amazing African grey parrot facts. The African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) is a medium-sized parrot and is universally popular as pets primarily due to its highly developed ability to mimic human and other voices. These are referred to as one of the largest parrots in the world. Grey parrots are easily characterized by even casual observer for their red tail and the pale grey plumage. Both male and female exhibits same physical appearance but the juveniles claim dark grey coverts. Grey parrots are actually noisy birds and they tend to travel great distances in pursuit of fruiting trees.
African Grey Parrot Facts For Kids
Introduction
Subfamily: Psittacinae
Taxonomy: psittacus erithacus Linnaeus, 1758, Ghana. Two subspecies
Characteristics and Behavior
- Length 33 cm (13 inches); weight 402 – 407 grams; stocky grey bird with red short tail.
- Grey parrots are solitary birds but they do get together when the food is abundant.
- They are extremely noisy and highly noticeable especially at their roosting sites at night. As the night falls, grey parrots gather together sometimes in large numbers and others in small groups.
- Grey parrots start the day by flying high above the trees while at the same time calling loudly to make their presence feel to others.
- They are often found feeding in shades or canopy during afternoon.
- Parrots take rest at midday and they are not easily accessible.
- They will fly back to their roosting sites after nightfall; this is a regular routine.
What do African Grey Parrots Eat | Feeding Ecology and Diet
- Grey parrots like to eat fruits, nuts, seeds, pulp of fruits, berries, and pulps from cultivated oil palms (Elaeis guineensis).
- Grey parrots should be fed with specialized pelleted diets consisting of 60 – 70% of the entire diet. One can also feed these birds with the fortified seeds in a limited quantity. They also eat cantaloupe, carrots, bananas, broccoli, grapes, vegetables, and fruits.
- According to the unconfirmed reports, they have also damaged some maize crops which indeed define the variety in their diet.
What Not To Feed African Grey Parrots | African Grey Parrot Facts
- Chocolate
- Alcohol
- Fruit seeds
- Caffeine
- Avocados
Where do African Grey Parrots Live | Distribution and Habitat
Grey parrots are found on the east of Ivory Coast to the Congo River Basin while P.e. timneh species exists in the Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast.
The grey parrots are found in the tropical Africa ranging from Kenya, Tanzania, and south to Angola. Some of these species also live in the islands of Principe and Sao Tome, southern Mali, and guinea-Bissau
African grey parrots usually build their habitats on foothills and lowlands. They like to live in tall evergreen forests that have moisture in it. They are also found in the mangroves, woodlands, plantations, and gardens.
African grey parrots build their habitats in secondary and primary forests including mangrove forests, forest edges or clearings, cultivated regions, and savanna woodlands.
Reproductive Biology
- Grey parrots are monogamous creatures and they have geographically varied breeding season.
- In the West Africa, the breeding season lasts from November to April.
- In the Congo River basin the season starts in July and ends in December.
- The parrots living in the East Africa breed in the months of June and July only.
- They make nests in tree hollow that are very tall.
- The clutch size averages two to three and it rarely goes beyond four.
- Female performs most of the incubation that lasts for 21 to 30 days in captivity.
- The young parrots remain in the nests for about 10 weeks after which they fly off.
Conservation
- Though grey parrots are present in large numbers locally yet they do not have a very bright future.
- Humans have cut down many forestry areas which lead to the destruction of their natural habitats.
- In addition, many people keep these birds in captivity as grey parrots make good pets.
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