African Grey Parrot
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Psittaciformes
Family
Psittacidae
Genus
Psittacus
Size
Length: 33 cm
Weight
400 - 490 g
African Grey Parrot Description
The African grey parrot (Psittacus
erithacus) is famous for its intelligence and ability to mimic human speech,
making it one of the most popular of all avian pets. One of the largest parrots
in Africa, the African grey parrot has pale grey plumage, with whitish edges to
the feathers on the head and neck, which give a lacy or ‘scalloped’ appearance.
The flight feathers are darker grey, the rump pale and the short tail a
striking red. The beak is black, and on the face a large area of bare white
skin surrounds the pale yellow eye. Both male and female African grey parrots
are similar in appearance, while juveniles can be recognised by a dark grey or
black eye, grey-tinged undertail-coverts and a darker red tip to the
tail.
Two subspecies of African grey parrot were
previously recognised: Psittacus erithacus erithacus, sometimes known as
the red-tailed African grey parrot or the Congo African grey parrot, and Psittacus
erithacus timneh, also known as the Timneh African grey parrot. However, P.
e. timneh is now believed to be a separate species, the Timneh parrot (Psittacus
timneh). A separate population of African grey parrots on the island of
Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea was previously considered to be a third subspecies, Psittacus erithacus
princeps, but is now included with P. e. erithacus.
African Grey Parrot Biology
The African grey parrot feeds
on a variety of fruits, seeds and nuts, particularly those of the oil-palm, Elaeis
guineensis. It is also known to do damage to maize crops. The species can
travel considerable distances in search of fruiting trees, and may also make
seasonal movements out of the driest parts of its range during the dry season.
The African grey parrot often roosts in large groups, and forms large, noisy
flocks, the birds calling to each other with a variety of squawks, whistles,
shrieks and screams, both at rest and in flight. In addition to its ability to
mimic human speech, this parrot has also been found to mimic other bird and
mammal calls in the wild.
The nest of the African grey
parrot is generally a simple cavity, high in a tree. Two to three eggs are
usually laid, and hatch after an incubation period of between 21 and 30
days, the young leaving the nest around 80 days later. Captive African grey
parrots may live for up to 50 years.
In recent years, research on
a captive African grey parrot known as ‘Alex’ has highlighted the impressive
intelligence of this species. As well as learning the names of over 50 objects,
Alex was able to use English words to identify colours, shapes and quantities
up to six, as well as to demonstrate an understanding of concepts such as
bigger / smaller, same / different, and absence, and to use words and phrases
to make simple requests. Such studies suggest that the intelligence of African
grey parrots is comparable to that of marine mammals, apes and even young
children.
African Grey Parrot Range
The African grey parrot has a
wide distribution across tropical Africa, from south-eastern Côte d’Ivoire east
to Kenya and Tanzania, and south to Angola, including populations on the
islands of Príncipe and São Tomé
African Grey Parrot Habitat
The African grey parrot
inhabits both primary and secondary lowland moist forest. It has
also been observed at forest edges and clearings, and sometimes occurs in
mangrove forest, gallery forest, savanna woodland and in
cultivated areas. The African grey parrot is often found in areas of oil-palms
(Elaeis guineensis), on which it likes to feed, and commonly roosts in raphia
palms overhanging watercourses, or on offshore islands
African Grey Parrot Threats
Habitat loss, particularly
the loss of large nesting trees, is likely to be having a significant impact on
African grey parrot populations. However, the main threat is the capture of
large numbers of wild individuals for the international pet trade. Estimates
suggest that up to a fifth of the global population may be harvested annually
to be sold as pets, though actual numbers captured are likely to be higher than
those officially recorded, due to the number of birds that die during capture
or transport, and due to illegal trade.
Worryingly, there also
appears to be an increasing market for parrot heads and tail feathers, which
are being harvested for purported medicinal purposes, and which are more easily
stored and transported than live birds
African Grey Parrot Conservation
The African grey parrot is
still numerous and found over a wide range, and occurs in a number of protected
areas such as Salonga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This
park is a World Heritage Site and the largest tropical rainforest reserve in
Africa, although political instability there makes protection difficult.
However, despite trade being monitored to some extent under the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), current levels are
considered unsustainable and the African grey parrot is now in decline.
Conservation measures
proposed for the African grey parrot include reducing quotas and banning
exports from some countries, as well as attempting tighter control of trade and
increased monitoring and research. It has been suggested that the population of
African grey parrots on Príncipe should be treated separately in terms of its
conservation, as it is heavily harvested. Conservation of this isolated and
perhaps unique population should be aided by the fact that it is the symbol of
the island.
The import of wild-caught
African grey parrots is now banned in the USA and in Europe, and this may
further help to decrease the level of trade in this highly intelligent bird.
However, more research may now be needed into the trade in parrot heads and
feathers if this emerging threat is to be effectively countered.
