African Grey Parrot : One of the greatest species of parrots
by Frederick M Hueston
The African grey parrot scientifically known as Psittacus erithacus is originated in Central Africa. here are two types of African Greys - the larger Congo (has bright red tail feathers) and smaller Timneh (darker tail feathers). No one really knows when the grey African parrot was first found in Europe but it said that King Henry VIII had an African grey parrot as a pet.
The African grey parrot is a large bird that can grow to 12 to 14 inches in length. The Timneh subspecies is a little smaller. Their tails are quite short and they don't have very beautiful colored plumage. but all this is compensated by they intelligence.
I will try to talk a little about the African grey parrot behavior and training.
The Grey is a very social bird. In the wild, they depend on the flock for their safety and their emotional well-being. Because they depend on the flock so much, they read the emotion of their companion birds. This translates to their human companions as well. If an owner is upset or angry, the bird will feel it and react to the emotion.
African grey parrots really need much attention and interaction. Because of their dependence of the flock, if they stay alone they will get bored and depressed. If you don't spend enough time with an African grey parrot he will get the feather picking behavior or even become quite aggressive. So if you decide to buy an African grey parrot keep in mind that they are not lonely birds. African Grey parrots need a strong relationship with their owners. If you think that you are not able to make this commitment you should reconsider and buy another species of parrots.
But the most interesting aspect of the African grey parrot is that they are very intelligent. I have heard of a parrot called Alex that Alex, the African Grey trained by Dr. Irene Pepperberg, can perform tasks on the same level as a four year old child including distinguishing colors, shapes, and numbers of objects.
African grey parrots are also great talkers. They can learn a lager number of words and the most amazing thing is that they can use the words properly. If you think that we are talking about a bird's brain you have to agree that this are very good performances.
The training of your African grey parrot can be very fun because they learn very fast and they are very curious. If you want your bird to say a certain phrase, say it in different ways. Say it in a sing-song way, in a low voice, in a high voice, in a baby voice, or any other voice. Say the phrase looking directly at the bird so that he knows you want him to say it.
I advise you not to teach him dirty words. Don't make a joke from your pet. Also be careful to keep many toys around your African grey parrot so he will not get bored.
In conclusion, please don't buy an African
grey parrot if you are not sure that you can meat all the parrot care demands.
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