One of the 6 parrots on WAnimals
Birds · Psittaciformes · Psittacidae
Grey Parrot
Psittacus erithacus
It faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. See full glossary
The grey parrot, also known as the African grey parrot, is a psittaciform bird of the parrot family native to the African rainforest. Its appearance is unmistakable, with its black bill, grey plumage and red tail. It is threatened by habitat loss and by capture for the illegal pet trade. It is a bird noted for its high intelligence and for its capacity to memorise and imitate words.
Weight
400 g – 600 g
Size
30 cm – 36 cm
Lifespan
50 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Colony
Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Fun facts
- inteligenciaIn laboratory studies it has shown it can link words to abstract concepts such as quantity, shape and colour.
- Alex the grey parrot, studied for thirty years by the researcher Irene Pepperberg, handled more than a hundred words, counted up to six, understood the concepts of same and different and asked what colour things were: his last words to his keeper were a goodbye he had learned to say every night.
- It has been shown to help others of its kind selflessly: in experiments, a grey parrot hands tokens to a companion who can exchange them for food even though it gains nothing itself, something not even chimpanzees do.
- In Ghana more than 99% of the population has disappeared in three decades because of capture for the pet trade.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
- Habitat & environment
- Lowland rainforest, gallery forest and palm groves of equatorial Africa
- Sexual maturity
- 4 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 28 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 3 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psittacus_erithacus
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Grey Parrot — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
EndangeredChimpanzee
Pan troglodytes
Guinea Turaco
Tauraco persa
Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird
Pogoniulus bilineatus
Yellow-casqued Hornbill
Ceratogymna elata
White-necked Rockfowl
Picathartes gymnocephalus
Grey-necked Rockfowl
Picathartes oreas
How to help
The grey parrot is classified as endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 5 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about grey parrot.
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