African Gray

Lifespan: 60 years

Size: Medium

Scientific Name: Psittacus erithacus

Natural Habitat: Africa

Conservation Status (IUCN): Endangered - decreasing population trend

African Gray Species

gray and black bird on black metal cage_

Congo African Gray

Scientific Name: Psittacus erithacus

Native Habitat: West/central Africa - ranging from Ivory Coast to Kenya to Tanzania

Visual Distinction: Congo african grays have a red tail and more filled out, round head. Their beaks are more round and bulbous than the Timneh. They are slightly larger and lighter in color than the Timneh.

Timneh African Gray

Scientific Name: Psittacus timneh

Native Habitat: Western coast of Africa - ranging from Guinea to Mali

Visual Distinction: Timneh African grays are smaller and slightly darker in color than the Congos. Their tails have a dark maroon color to them, rather than bright red. Their beaks may look longer and less bulbous than the Congos.

A Bit About African Grays

African Gray parrots are known as the smartest parrot there is, capable of learning up to 1,000 words or more with the cognitive abilities of a 2 to 3 year old human child (Sandra C. Mitchell, DVM, PetMD by chewy, 2023). They are intelligent birds, meaning they require a lot of time and energy to keep them happy. Ideally, you will spend many hours a day with your parrot - this includes quality social time with you, training time, and enrichment time. As these birds are very smart, they can become easily frustrated and start plucking, screaming, engage in destructive behaviors, and other unpleasant behaviors that you probably don't want in your home if they are not given what they need to thrive. They form strong bonds with their families and do well with a routine. They are very talkative, so expect to hear an almost constant chatter from them! They are sometimes known as one-person birds, meaning they pick one person to bond with and tend to stick to that one person. Sometimes they still do well other people, sometimes they don't, its really up to the individual bird. They demand attention, and would thrive best in a one pet or few pet household where they can be the center of attention. Like any animal with a mouth, they can and do bite - when they want to do some damage, they can break skin, break fingers, and other not-so-feel-good things!

Care Needs

Enclosure

Diet

Toys

The ideal minimum enclosure size for an African gray would be 24"d x 36"w x 48"h (61cm x 91cm x 122cm), roughly. The bar spacing should be no more than 1 inch apart, ideally 3/4 inches apart. Every cage manufacturer makes slightly different variations of sizes, so anything with roughly these dimensions would be great! A flight cage or large aviary would be the best choice - large walk in that allow your bird to fly and give ample space are almost always a great thing! If your bird won't be spending much time in their enclosure, the minimum size is more than okay for sleeping and breaks during the day.

Variation and balance are the two most important things when it comes to your parrots diet. Click here to learn more about your parrots diet!

African grays are medium sized, intelligent parrots. When picking our toys for your African gray, pick out medium sized toys - toys that are too small can be a choking hazard and toys too large will probably not be played with. Something to consider when picking out toys is bells. Toys with bells on the bottom must be large enough that the rod in the middle of the bell won't be swallowed. Our recommendation is to get elongated bells with large rods - pictured below. Your bird will need hanging toys in their enclosure, foot toys for when they're out of their enclosures, possibly hangin toys around your house, and possibly floor toys such as balls with bells in them or chinese finger traps for them to throw around.

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Health Concerns

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