African Grey Parrot
Psittacus erithacus
Beastly Facts · Updated
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Overview
The African grey parrot is widely regarded as the most intelligent parrot species and among the most cognitively sophisticated of all animals. Native to the dense equatorial forests of West and Central Africa, they live in large flocks and form long-term pair bonds. The research parrot Alex, studied by Dr. Irene Pepperberg for over 30 years, demonstrated a working vocabulary of over 150 words and the ability to understand concepts of color, shape, number, and "same vs. different."
Quick Facts
Native Range
West and Central Africa (Ghana, Ivory Coast, Congo, Cameroon)
Natural Habitat
Dense lowland forest and forest edges
Adult Size
13 inches (33 cm); 14-21 oz
Wild Diet
Seeds, nuts, fruits, and leafy vegetation
Wild Lifespan
22.7 years on average in the wild (n=120); a mean of 45 years in captivity, up to 60
Conservation Status
Endangered (IUCN)
History
Legal exports moved this species out of Africa in extraordinary numbers: the US Fish and Wildlife Service counted more than 1.5 million wild greys taken from their habitats in the 25 years to 2016. Trapping and forest clearance erased the bird from much of its western range, leaving the largest populations confined to central Africa. On October 2, 2016, at the CITES conference in Johannesburg, delegates voted 95 to 35 with five abstentions to move Psittacus erithacus from Appendix II to Appendix I. The proposal was sponsored jointly by Angola, Chad, Gabon, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, the European Union and the United States. That listing ended commercial international trade in wild-caught birds outright.
Compare
African Grey Parrot
Human
Adult Size
13 inches (33 cm); 14-21 oz
5-6 feet (150-185 cm); ~135-200 lbs
Wild Lifespan
22.7 years on average in the wild (n=120); a mean of 45 years in captivity, up to 60
~73 years (global average)
Wild Diet
Seeds, nuts, fruits, and leafy vegetation
Omnivorous - eats just about anything
Native Range
West and Central Africa (Ghana, Ivory Coast, Congo, Cameroon)
Global - originated in Africa roughly 300,000 years ago
Natural Habitat
Dense lowland forest and forest edges
Everywhere from arctic tundra to tropical megacities
Conservation Status
Endangered (IUCN)
Least Concern (8+ billion and counting)
Test Yourself
What's the African Grey Parrot's native range?
Fun Facts
🦜 The Bashful Parrot
African greys are the bashful ones of the parrot world. A survey of the owners of 2,200 pet parrots scored every bird on four personality traits: confidence, prosociality, neuroticism and playfulness. African greys came out lower in confidence than the other groups. Not the boldest bird in the room, then.
🦜 Birds Can Count
African Grey Parrots are incredibly smart and can count! Studies have shown that these feathered mathematicians can understand numerical concepts, proving that they are not just pretty faces but also brainiacs of the avian world.
🦜 Parrots Past Eighty
Some parrot species can live over 80 years! The oldest known parrot, Cookie, a Major Mitchell's cockatoo, was at least 82 when he died in 2016, and the hatch date his zoo gave him would make him 83.
🦜 Parrots Need Company
Parrots are highly social animals, and they need regular social contact. Too little interaction with people or other birds can leave them bored, and boredom is one of several causes of feather picking, alongside loneliness and stress.
🦜 Mimics Everything
Many parrots can mimic not just single words but whole phrases, even copying the pitch and inflection of a particular person's voice. The record for the largest bird vocabulary ever documented doesn't belong to a big exotic species. It belongs to a budgerigar named Puck, credited by Guinness World Records with an estimated 1,728 words.
Where it is legal
5 US jurisdictions restrict this species, from outright bans to permits. Every one quotes the rule it comes from.
Legal Guide
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Deep Dive
Health and More
Did You Know?
The famous grey Alex, the subject of landmark peer-reviewed research, could label 50 objects, 7 colors, and 5 shapes, count quantities up to six, and grasp the concept of 'none'.
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