African Grey Parrots 101

Name: African Grey Parrot

Personality: Intelligent (some say African greys are the smartest of the parrot species), affectionate, emotional, and very social, but prone to depression if not properly entertained or attended to. Like many large birds, they are sensitive and can develop neurotic behaviors and depression if left alone, according to About.com.

Common Health Issues: Health problems typically found in African greys are respiratory disease, weight loss, seizures, tumors, and self-mutilating behaviors (like feather picking) due to depression says AvianWeb. With proper care, though, these birds can live 50 to 75 years according to About.com.

Training Tips: African greys are well-known for their ability to mimic not only humans, but pets and other household noises, like microwave beeps and smoke detectors, according to Birdtricks.com. In fact, they're so intelligent and have such vast cognitive skills that research has shown they're able to associate words with meanings. This means that, with a bit of patience and repetition, you should be able to teach your African grey to speak without much trouble. A video at Birdtricks.com suggests introducing baby African greys to something new every day to keep them from being afraid, and if you have a bird that's already somewhat phobic, introduce target training (explained in the video).

Best For: As with all large, long-lived birds, African greys require a major commitment in terms of time, space and resources -- since they have the intelligence of a human child (5 to 9 years old, depending on who you ask), they can be quite challenging, says About.com. Because of their sensitive nature, some experts suggest only seasoned bird owners keep African greys as pets. That being said, many owners love their bird's intelligent nature and end up relating to them as if the bird were human, according to African-Grey.com

What African Grey Owners Say: Jill Steinberg of Miami, Fla., inherited her African grey, Roxie, from a business partner. "She lived in a house where the pet owners screamed and shouted and were very loud. They could not deal with her because she mimicked that behavior and when they screamed, she screamed louder. It took my husband and I almost a year to calm her down," she tells Paw Nation.

"[Roxie] is a million and one laughs. Although African greys are supposed to attach to one person, Roxie has decided that she loves both of us in very different ways. She will climb on my husband's hand and then perch herself on his shoulder. Then after a few minutes she will kiss his tongue. With me, she mimics my mannerisms, my voice, and my vocalizations. She has learned to sing and dance to the music on the radio. I love her because she makes me laugh right down to my funny bone. Sometimes it is almost as if she is really talking to you because she says phrases at the right moments."

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