African Grey

The species is common in captivity and regularly kept by humans as a companion parrot, prized for its ability to mimic human speech, which makes it one of the most popular avian pets. An escaped pet in Japan was returned to his owner after repeating the owner’s name and address.

They are notorious for mimicking noises heard in their environment and using them tirelessly. They are highly intelligent birds, needing extensive behavioral and social enrichment as well as extensive attention in captivity or else they may become distressed. Feather plucking is a common symptom seen among such distressed grey parrots. They also may be prone to behavioural problems due to their sensitive nature. Social isolation hastens stress and aging. Their ability to reproduce noises has led to them exercising their vocal abilities in front of humans; for example in the metal band Hatebeak.

Greys are highly social species and rely on a flock-type structure, even when raised in captivity. Because they are so dependent on the other birds within their flock, much of their speech and vocal ability is acquired through interaction with the humans with whom they reside. Both wild and captive parrots have been shown to use contact calls, which allow them to interact with their flock mates and communicate information about their location, detection of predators, availability of food, and safety status. In addition, contact calls are used to form strong social bonds with their flock mates, or in the case of captive greys, with their human house mates. In captivity, African Grey parrots have been shown to display communicative competence, meaning they not only use human language correctly, but also in such a way that is appropriate for the social situation in which they are in.