African Gray Parrots

 

African gray parrots are super-smart birds!

They’re so smart, in fact, that they’ve become famous. Take Alex, for instance:

One Smarty-Pant Bird Named Alex 

• An African gray parrot named Alex was one of the smartest parrots ever. Alex learned the names of 50 different things.
• He could also tell the difference between 7 different colors and 5 different shapes.
• He had a vocabulary of about 150 words.
• He could even count!
• Like any parrot, Alex could mimic the human voice. But Alex was exceptional: he seemed to understand what he was saying!
• In other words, Alex seemed to know how to use human words in the correct way—not just blindly repeat what a person said.
• Sadly, Alex died in 2007 suddenly at the age of 29. (He most likely had a heart attack or stroke.) Alex's last words, spoken to his owner and teacher, Dr. Irene Pepperberg, were "You be good. See you tomorrow. I love you."

 

African Gray Parrots in the Wild

• Wild African gray parrots are found in the tropical forests of central Africa.
• They live in noisy flocks of up to 30.
• The birds fly around together looking for fruit and nuts to eat.

 

Should You Get an African Gray Parrot as a Pet?

1. African grays are bred and raised in captivity and sold to pet stores.
2. But, like other parrots, they can live for 50 years or more.
3. Parrots are very demanding pets.
4. Almost everyone would be much happier with a parakeet, or a pet cat or dog.
5. To find out more why owning a parrot isn't such a great idea, click on this link: Should-You-Get-a-Parrot-for-a-Pet