Koko's favorite sleeping place.

Koko, my cute little 4 months old Congo African Grey.

Kiki, my ferocious and aggressive female Blue Rumped Parrot.

Lucky, my 3rd parrot enjoying his water chestnut.

Rex, my young Blue Crowned Hanging Parrot.

This is Buddy, my first Blue Rumped Parrot. Water Chestnut is one of Blue Rumpeds favorite food.

Congo African Grey

Congo African Grey Parrot, (Psittacus erithacus erithacus):

This is the dominant subspecies being about 33 cm (13 in) long, with light grey feathers, cherry red tails, and an all black beak. Immature birds of this subspecies have tails with a darker, duller red towards the tip (Juniper and Parr 1999) until their first moult which occurs within 18 months of age. These birds also initially have grey irises which change to a pale yellow colour by the time the bird is a year old. The Congo grey parrot is found on the islands of Principe and Bioko and is distributed from south-eastern Ivory Coast to Western Kenya, Northwest Tanzania, Southern Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) and Northern Angola. In aviculture, it is often called a "CAG".


While comparative judgements of animal intellegence 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, believed to have evolved as a consequence of their history of cooperative feeding as largely tree-dwelling birds in central Africa.

It is widely believed in the parrot-keeping community that Greys understand their human companions at various human intelligence levels. For example, some believe that a young Grey (under a year) has the equivalent understanding of a human child in their toddler years, and that it is believed to be equivalent to a 6-year-old human child in its cognitive ability.

African Grey Psittacus erithacus

Size: Up to 45cm

Pet Status: Excellent

Talking Ability: Excellent

Noise Level: High

Lifespan: 40-60 years

Breeding Ability: Good

Number of Eggs: 2-4 eggs

Incubation: 21-30 days

Compatibility with other species: Good with other equally intelligent birds (ie. Eclectus)

Feeding: Seed and Fruit Eaters

Sexing: Cock is often larger than the hen. Surgical or DNA sexing is required. .