Psittacus
| African Grey Parrot | ||||||||||||||
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| Psittacus erithacus |
An African Grey Parrot is a large parrot of the genus Psittacus native to Africa. As their names imply, African Grey Parrots are predominantly grey, with accents of white and red in varying amounts depending on the sub-species. Greys, like all parrots, are zygodactyl, having 4 toes on each foot - two front and two back. They feed primarily on nuts and fruits, supplemented by leafy matter.
African Grey Parrots are renouned for their cognitive abilities, believed to have evolved due to their cooperative feeding on the ground in central Africa. In particular, Irene Pepperberg's research with African Greys such as Alex have shown that these parrots are capable of using human words with their human meanings, at least to some extent. This intelligence also creates a need for intellectually stimulating toys when African Greys are kept as companion animals.
There are two subspecies:
- Congo African Grey Parrot, Psittacus erithacus erithacus
- Timneh African Grey Parrot, Psittacus erithacus timneh