The Nature of African Grey Parrots

African Greys and Their Nature

The African Grey is undoubtedly the most gregarious of all parrots.  In the wild, he lives in groups of a hundred to two hundred individuals and remains in same group during the mating season.
He lives in the tropical forest between 50 and 80 feet from the ground. As an almost exclusively arboreal bird he’s an excellent climber, but  only rarely  comes to the ground, so he’s not much of a walker.  He only comes down to drink from the lakes and rivers around which his colony has settled.

In the forest, his food is rich in vegetable fat and proteins, as well as in vitamin A. The African parrot is fond of palm nuts, of coffee seeds and of  palm fruit. His digestive tract is perfectly adapted to this diet. So what do you feed an African Grey in captivity?
Well when it comes to feeding a Grey, remember he needs vitamin A and calcium.  As Greys are subject to hypocalcemia (calcium deficiency) it is important to feed him calcium rich foods. Enough lighting and a vitamin D3 supplement will also help him assimilate calcium.

In captivity, African Grey parrots are among the most studied birds and among the most popular with bird lovers, chiefly because of their calm personality, their intelligence, their remarkable skill to reproduce sounds, human voices and their ability to speak in order to communicate. Furthermore this bird is appreciated for his sensitivity and his incredible empathy with humans.  It seems he can really sense our emotions and state of mind and react accordingly.

However the flip side of the African Grey’s thoughtful temperament is that it makes him more timid than other types of parrots. He seems to classify all humans or objects around him in two categories:  possibly dangerous or familiar and without danger.  Unfortunately, anything unfamiliar to the bird automatically ends up in the first category.  This suspicious nature is chronic with African Greys. They will always have difficulty accepting novelty, whether it takes the form of a new human, food, toy, object, etc.  But don’t be discouraged, after a while curiosity will get the better of him. The main thing to remember is to give him the time he needs to accept the new element into the familiar and non-threatening category. But be patient: this may be a slow process!

BIRD BRAINIAC – EXTRAORDINARY ANIMALS – ANIMAL PLANET SPECIAL – Air Date: 7/5/2008: Meet Congo African Grey, GRIFFIN, who has succeeded ALEX in helping Dr. Irene PEPPERBERG of Brandeis University in Waltham, MA, prove that Parrots are sensitive, intelligent, thinking, feeling creatures! FOOTAGE of ALEX from 7:28 to 9:20. {Alex passed away Sept. 6, 2007…RIP…} THIS IS A PRODUCTION BY THE BBC — See Full Article Here: news.bbc.co.uk NARRATED BY: William Shatner For more info, visit THE ALEX FOUNDATION (where you can also watch the FULL 22-Minute Video): www.alexfoundation.org Also making an appearance is famous African Grey, EINSTEIN, together with Stephenie White from the Knoxville Zoo in Tennessee. Visit the Knoxville Zoo’s Website for more information on Einstein and AFRICAN GREY PARROTS: www.knoxville-zoo.org You can watch a video of EINSTEIN performing at the Zoo’s YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com And please remember…’DON’T BUY, DON’T BREED, ADOPT A PARROT IN NEED!’

Yahoo Answers:

Question by rambo: I want to buy an African Grey parrot, does anyone knows a currently updated website?
I want to buy an African Grey parrot, I have being searching and I still have not found anything yet. Does anyone knows were I can buy one, on a currently updated site or locally here in Laredo TX 78046? I think they are great pets and I am ready for one. Please be honest and sorry for my grammar.

Best answer:

Answer by Doo doo patrol
You can buy one at a pet store that sells African m#therf#ckin Grey Parrots….

What do you think? Answer below in the comments!

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