The Birdie Page

The birdie page is in honor of my son, Jimmie Dexter, who loves birds. He is 22 months old and just goes crazy over the sight of birds. He screams BIRDIE, BIRDIE, BIRDIE!! This is so funny to see. In this sight I will give information on birds.

This week I will talk about the African Grey parrot, both as a bird and as a pet.

The African Grey
There are two types of African Grey parrots. The African Grey and the Timneh African Grey. The African Grey is sightly larger, by an inch, reaching a hieght of 13 inches. Is lighter gray in color, with bright red tail feathers, and a black beak. The timneh is, of course, darker in color with maroon tail feathers, and a slightly tan color on the top portion of the beak. The color differences are a result of their location. The larger African Grey comes from the central part of Africa, while the smaller Timneh is along the westren coast of Africa. Both of these birds are extremely intelligent.

Speaking ability
The African Grey is considered to be the smartest parrot. This belief is the reason for the Greys ability to talk. Yes, able to talk. Dr. Irene Pepperberg proved the Greys ability to talk by conducting a 19 year study. She concluded that Grey parrots are able to use and understand words in the intended way.

The African Grey and other parrots talk without having vocal cords. The are able to produce sound that make words by blowing air over an opening in the bottom portion of their beak. Simular to people blowing over the opening on the top of a bottle. This is very interesting.

African Greys as pets
Having an African Grey as a pet is very rewarding, but also carries a high level of responsibility. Greys needed a lot of attention. Meaning, the owner needs to spend a lot of time with the bird in order to ensure the bird is living a good life. If a Grey parrot is left unattended for long periods of time they will become boreed and disatisfied. When this ocurres, Greys can develop disorders. For example, they may start tearing out their own feathers. If you choose to have a Grey as a pet your first concern should be the health of your pet.

They eat nuts and fruits. You can give them special treats, like noodles or rice. You should mainly stick with the nuts and fruit.

The African Grey makes a wonderful pet, as long as you are will and able to give them the required amount of attention.

Good luck!

Heres a picture, a very bad one, of my African Grey. Next time I will try to have a better picture.

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