African Grey (Congo)

African Grey (congo)

There are two species of African Grey generally kept as pets, the Congo (which has a red patch of feathers on the underside of the tail), and the Timneh (with no red tail feathers).

Will a smart, but nerdy 2 year old wrapped in gray and red feathers fit into your family and life-style? Probably! Intelligent and stately, an African Grey parrot is the best talking of all the parrots. An African grey parrot will talk in human voices and continue to learn more words and phrases over their entire life span. An African Grey parrot seems to know when you are happy or sad, and reacts to you based on how you feel. The African Greys intelligence has been estimated at the level of a 5 year old child with the emotional level of a 2 year old. Good early training is essential and will result in an African Grey parrot being a life long companion.

The African Grey Parrot is revered as the most talented of all talking parrots. Many possess extensive vocabularies and often mimic household owners voices perfectly. Some learn to sing songs all the way through or engage in conversations using multiple "voices". It is not uncommon for a Grey to imitate the sound of a ringing telephone, microwave chime or doorbell. Should an African Grey parrot be your first bird? Novice bird owners who have taken the time to educate themselves about the personality and care requirements of African Grey and who have become comfortable with handling a bird of similar size can coexist quite successfully with a grey parrot.