The African grey parrot or Congo grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) is famous for its intelligence and ability to mimic human speech, making it one of the most popular of all avian pets. One of the largest parrots in Africa, the African grey parrot has pale grey plumage, with whitish edges to the feathers on the head and neck, which give a lacy or ‘scalloped’ appearance. The flight feathers are darker grey, the rump pale and the short tail a striking red. The beak is black, and on the face a large area of bare white skin surrounds the pale-yellow eye. Both male and female African grey parrots are similar in appearance, while juveniles can be recognized by a dark grey or black eye, grey-tinged undertail-coverts and a darker red tip to the tail. Large, noisy flocks of African grey parrots may travel considerable distances in search of fruiting trees. A captive African grey parrot named Alex was able to use English words to identify colours, shapes and quantities.
