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~ African Parrots ~
The African Grey Parrot is a medium-sized parrot
of the genus Psittacus, native to Africa. As the name implies, they are
predominantly grey, with accents of white. Some of their feathers are very
dark grey and others are a lighter grey colour. They have red or maroon tails
depending on the subspecies. They feed primarily on nuts and fruits,
supplemented by leafy matter.
While comparative judgements of animal
intelligence are always very difficult to make objectively, Psittaciformes are
generally regarded as being the most intelligent of birds. African grey
parrots are particularly noted for their cognitive abilities, which are
believed to have evolved as a consequence of their history of cooperative
feeding on the ground in central Africa.
Irene Pepperberg's extensively published research with captive African greys,
including Alex, has shown that these parrots are capable of associating human
words with their meanings, at least to some extent. Ambitious claims of
language use have also been made for another African grey N'kisi, who has a
vocabulary of over a thousand words and speaks in sentences. However, there is
little doubt that Greys and other parrots (especially macaws and cockatoos),
along with corvines (Crows, Ravens, and Jays), are highly intelligent in
comparison with other birds.
The history of African Grey parrots kept as pets
dates back over 4,000 years. Some Egyptian hieroglyphics clearly depict pet
parrots. The ancient Greeks also valued parrots as pets, and this custom was
later adopted by the Wealthy Roman families often kept parrots in ornate
cages, and parrots were prized for their ability to talk. King Henry VIII of
England also had an African Grey parrot. The Portuguese sailors kept them as
companions on their long sea voyages.
Today, many African Grey parrots are hand reared by breeders for the pet trade
and they make wonderful and very affectionate companion parrots; however,
because they can be unpredictable at times, they may not be compatible with
small children. African Grey parrots are very strong and they can bite with
their strong pointed beak and scratch with their talons. African Grey parrots
have a high intelligence and they are generally thought to be the best mimics
of all parrots. Pet owners often refer to their relationship with their hand
reared pet African Greys as being "like having a five-year-old child". On the
other hand, wild-caught African Grey parrots captured from the wild need time
and effort to adapt to human presence, and have a tendency to growl and bite
when they are approached. The Convention on the International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES) has made the sale of all wild caught parrot species
illegal.
African Grey parrots, like any pet parrot, can require a large commitment as
they require a lot of attention. While numbers vary with each source, most
agree that three hours out of cage daily and 45 minutes of physical
interaction is the minimum attention required for good mental health. African
Greys – particularly Congo African Greys – are known to be shy amongst
strangers. African Greys have the tendency to bond to only one person if they
do not interact with different people regularly. While inter-species
friendships with other parrots are uncommon with African Greys, they require
socialization with other parrots of any species.
African Greys require a lot of stimulating toys due to their high intelligence
and to avoid boredom. Three to five toys at a time are typically enough to
satisfy African Greys, but too many toys can crowd the cage. Toys should be
rotated and switched regularly to keep the stimulation constant and diverse.
For an African Grey spending most of its day in the cage, 36"W x 24"D is a
good cage size. The height of a cage is typically not important, except in the
case of playtop cages that are taller than the owner, in which case the bird
can become territorial. An African Grey who spends most of its time on a
playstand and uses the cage solely for sleeping only needs a cage large enough
so that the bird's wingspan doesn't touch the cage's sides and its head and
tail do not touch the cage's top and bottom respectively. The bar-spacing
should from be ¾ inch to 1 inch. A companion African Grey should be kept in a
bird-safe environment and placed in a busy part of the home, such as the
living room, where the bird can occupy himself (or herself) in watching the
household activities.
African Greys have special dietary requirements and should be fed with calcium
and Vitamin A rich foods such as leafy greens like mustard greens, broccoli
etc., almonds or little amount of cheese. It is usual to give African grey
parrots carefully calculated quantities of calcium and vitamin supplements. An
excess of these added vitamins and minerals in an African Grey’s diet can lead
to health problems. Only a few feathers should be clipped from the wings of an
African Grey since they are heavy birds. Clipping too many feathers can
severely impair flight and may lead to injuries as they may have a tendency to
crash to the ground. If very young birds are wing clipped they may never gain
full coordination and agility in flight. African Grey parrots' lifespans are
up to about 50 years (or more) in captivity.
This article is licensed under
the GNU Free
Documentation License. It uses material from
Wikipedia.
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