African Greys

This is Sheena, a four year old Congo Grey owned by Real Macaw member Shelly Orloff. There are basically two flavors of Grey, Congo and Timneh. The differences are the Congo is slightly larger at 14 inches with bright red tail a black beak and light gray plumage. The Timneh on the other hand is much darker gray with the upper mandible reddish tipped with black and the tail a shade of maroon.

The Grey parrot is renowned for its talking ability; as a mimic it has no rival among parrots. They also reproduce words with such accuracy that the teacher can be identified. This could also be a problem with them reproducing sounds that we don't particularly want to hear at sunrise such as car alarms, the phone, and the ever present wolf whistle. There is no difference in the speaking ability of the two types, but they don't usually start talking till they are a year old.

Greys inhabit central Africa from the Ivory Coast to Kenya and northern Angola, the Congo and Tanzania. The lowland forest is major habitat of the Grey. In the wild they are very difficult to approach. Their diet consists of seeds, fruits, berries and nuts. They have been kept as pets in Europe from at least 1522.

Greys are highly intelligent, as demonstrated by Alex the Grey, but they tend to be shy around strangers and high strung.The latter characteristics tend to be more pronounced in the Congo than in the Timneh. They need lots of play time to keep them from getting bored. Once they get bored the feather plucking is not far behind. Provide them with lots of interesting toys but introduce the toy to the Grey slowly so it can get used to it. Otherwise it may freak out!!! Greys tend to bond with one person. You should socialize them when they are young to get them to accept other people and pets.
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A good balanced diet (not just seed & peanuts) is essential to provide the nutrients necessary to keep your bird in good health. Greys tend to suffer from calcium and Vitamin-A deficiencies. To combat calcium deficiencies give them either a mineral block or a cuttle bone and / or small amounts of dairy products. To help with the Vitamin-A problem leafy green vegetables (not lettuce) and any orange veg like sweet potatoes and carrots are excellent sources.

Greys are one of the most popular parrots kept as pets. They are widely bred and available through breeders and bird shops. Prices usually range from $850 to $1400, depending on your source and location, for a Congo and approximately $200 less for a Timneh.

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