African Gray Parrots

African Gray Parrots are very social birds and make great pets. They show their preference for company in the wild by flocking together. As animal companions they tend to adopt their  human family into their flock.

Even though they don’t like too much physical contact  they do enjoy petting and head scratching and sometimes show unusual signs of affection.

Regurgitating (also known as feeding) is one of the ways an African Gray shows the depth of their affection. They sometimes will show affection by trying to ”kiss” their owners on the lips. You should be careful if they try doing this since human saliva contains a type of bacteria that is hazardous for birds.

African Gray Parrots that experience loneliness may develop stressed behaviors. These can include plucking their feathers, vocalizing excessively, or starting to bite. Because of this you may not want to get an African Gray if you have young children.

Behavioral problems can also occur if their intellectual needs aren’t met and they get bored. Even a small change in their daily routine can sometimes cause crankiness or destructive behaviors in these sensitive birds. They need a stimulating and interactive environment.

Undisciplined African Grays can also get into plenty of trouble. Be careful not to inadvertently reinforce bad behaviors since they pick up behaviors very quickly. Of course the flip side of this is that it is also quite easy to train and teach your parrot good behaviors as well!

African Gray Parrots are one of the most beautiful, intelligent and easier species of parrots to keep. They are endowed with keen intelligence and are known for their extraordinary speaking and cognitive abilities.They’re capable of developing a large vocabulary and have been known to communicate quite well with their owners.

They need owners that are either well educated, experienced, or both and are able to understand their needs. Their owners also need to be willing to make a long term comittment since African Gray Parrots can live up to 60 years.

Originating in central Africa, they are a medium sized parrot and grow to 10 to 14 inches long. There are two types of African Grays; the Congo African Gray which is a light gray with a red tail and the Timneh African Gray which is a darker charcoal-like gray and has a maroon tail.

Although the coloring and appearance of both males and females is similar the males tend to be slightly larger, while the females generally have a narrower head and more slender neck.

These parrots are truly full of personality, intelligence and many humanistic qualities. You are very lucky if you own one since they posess an intelligence not seen in many animals other than African Gray Parrots!