African Grey Parrot – Female and Male
by Anna Hart
Filed under Parrot Breeds
Of more than 350 species of parrot, the African Grey parrot is among the most popular. African Grey parrots will bond, and be your friend for life – and their life span is 50-65 years. They are more intelligent than many parrots, and able to understand word meanings as well as sounds. African Grey parrots have been known to have vocabularies as high as 950 words, and many have sufficient vocabularies to read English, were they able to read.
African Grey Parrot Subspecies
The two scientifically recognized subspecies of African Grey parrots are:
1. Congo African Grey parrots (CAG)
2. Timneh African Grey parrots (TAG)
Congo African Grey parrots are the larger of the two.
African Grey Parrot Coloring
The African Grey parrot is, as it name implies, basically grey in color. This is not a drab bird, though. This is a parrot in near-formal attire. The basic grey is dressed up with white around the eyes, and other white highlights. A dramatic flash of red tail completes the attire – like a bright cummerbund.
On the Congo African Grey parrot, the grey is lighter, and the tail is a cherry red. The Timneh African Grey parrot sports a maroon red tail with darker grey back. Both have black beaks.
African Grey Parrot – Female and Male Appearance
Differences between sexes in the African Grey parrot are minimal and include these.
Female African Grey Parrot
Longer, slender neck with a smaller, rounded head.
Measures 11-12″ long.
Eye is slightly elliptical.
Lighter grey on wings, without red around vent.
Male African Grey ParrotShorter, heavy neck with a flatter, broader head.
Measures 12-13″ long.
Eye is round.
Darker grey on wings with red feathers around vent.
African Grey Parrot – Female and Male Behavior
Other than appearance, there are no studies about African Grey parrot female and male differences. Most information about behavioral differences is anecdotal in nature. Still, it may help to know what others have observed.
Knowing and recognizing the subtle differences will help you guide your baby parrot’s behavior. It will also help you modify behavior in an adult parrot. In addition, you will form more realistic expectations of how your African Grey parrot will behave.
Here, then, are a few observed differences.
* Companionship: Both seem to make good companions.
* Talking: The African Grey parrot species is the most likely to talk of all parrots. An African Grey parrot not only learns words and phrases, but can imitate different voices. Both usually talk equally well.
* Parrot Interaction: Female babies are content to play and perch alone or beside other babies. Male babies often engage in sparring with other male babies, “fighting” over the highest perches.
* Human Interaction: Females, when learning to fly, seldom fly to different people. Friendly to people, they seem less inclined to seek human companionship. Males frequently initiate human contact, seem to enjoy people, and interact willingly.
* Leader Instinct: Female African Grey parrots are less likely than males to challenge you for flock leadership. You are, of course, to be leader of the “flock”.
With these differences in mind, the choice between male and female is really up to you. African Grey parrots of either gender are great companions.
Thanks
I have a male congo african grey and he is the best companion. Hes so funny and entertaining, he loves to fight with his toys and is a real show off. Hes just turned one and hes so incredibly smart. This morning I asked him to please go into his cage as I had to leave for work and he promptly climbed back into his cage.
i think african grey parrots are the best beacause i have one and it wants load of attencion but love
foods for african grey parrots
1.apple sliced up
2.monkeynuts it will open the monkey nut its self
3.carrots in slices
4.dry sweetcorn
5.dry chilli
6.dry apple
7.water
thats all
I have a African grey parrot since he was 10 months of age. I really love him dearly, he is so funny while just talking to himself sometimes. The most unique part about him is that he will understand when someone is going and sweetly says “GOOD-BYE”…lolz…o_O
My grey Sebastian is like one of the family. He likes to interact with my husband and me. He imitates our voices. In the evening when it starts to get dark, he says “turn on the light its gettin dark out”. I go to take the recycling bins to the curb and he says “time to recycle”. My cat sometimes is a pest and meows a lot, and unfortunately my husband says shut up, well Sebastian has taken on that command now. His first line of words was “are you ready for some football”? This is just to name a few. When we go away he says ” hold down the fort”, and when he knows we are going to bed he says “see you in the mornin”.
Our African Grey, Pepper … Is so cute !He is 23 years old He will meow like our cats and bark like our dogs…. He will say ” Go On ” when we open the door to let the animals outside… due to my dad saying that… he imitates our voices & says” see ya later ” when we are picking up our keys to leave the house. He loves me so much that when I when I put my head in the cage and talk to him and scratch his head, he will try to feed me… He loves to be sprayed with water, when we get the bottle and he see’s it he will make a bubbling water sound…its hilarious !!!! He says “hello how are you” he says ” hello Robin” We call him a goof & he says ” pepper pepper pepper goof ” We just laugh !!! They are to funny !!!
I have had my african grey for ten years and at first i could do lots of things with him and we shared alot of time together for the first 7 years then after studying i went out to work. He adapted ok although I worked through the occasional bite, once a month. I got married last year and he now has bonded with my husband. I was very upset and still managed to keep up the contact, cleaning the cage, changing the feed and got the morning kiss.I am very upset as over the last week he has attacked me and the bites are deep and unexpected, there is not predicatablity. Help if you can I dont want to lose this relationship with my parrot, but i have become very nervous of him and very upset. P.S I think my parrot is male but its not been confirmed. From a heartbroken parrot lover.