ANATOMY
African grey parrots possess the ability to imitate speech. They can grow as tall as 13 inches in length and are Africa’s largest bird. Their plumage may vary to various shades of grey, but they are usually slightly darker on their back and wings, with a stunning tail that is crimson. Black And Yellow Birds As with all parrots, the African grey comes with a hooked beak that is extremely strong. Although little is known regarding the wild African Grey parrot courtship it is believed as monogamous. A typical clutch or quantity of eggs that are laid in one nest for the African grey, is between two and four eggs. The female is the sole one to incubate them while her male mate provides her food. After the chicks hatch, males and females take care of the chicks.
HABITAT
African greys can be found in the lowland rainforests that lie in central and western Africa. While they prefer the forest but they can also be found on forest edges and within forest galleries (which are forests that lie alongside rivers or streams) as well as in gardens.
They communicate with one another by screams that are high pitched and clear whistles. At night , they are removed from feeding areas, and they roost in groups. It is not uncommon to find more than 100 birds perched on one tree! They like to rest on the top of trees particularly on the fronds of an oil palm.
DIET
As a tree climbs from branch to branches, instead of flying in the air, the African grey is a collector of seeds, nuts fruits and berries. They are attracted to devouring the exterior layer oil palm nut and the red berries that are part of Cola tragacantha.They have also developed a love for grains and could cause quite a lot of harm to maize crops that are being grown in the western part of Africa.
THREATS
It is the African grey parrot was listed as “near threatened” in 2007 because of their popularity among pet market. Small Yellow Birds The parrot is among the top sought-after animal in Europe as well as the US as well as in the Middle East due to its amazing ability to imitate human voices in addition to its long duration of life. It is believed that as high as 20% of world population is taken each year. This, in conjunction with the constant destruction of habitats in Africa is causing an extremely rapid decline in the population.
