~African Grey Parrot~
Phylum: ChordataClass: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Genus: Psittacus
Kingdom: Animalia;
Scientific name: Poicephalus senegalus.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
In general, parrots have large heads and powerfully hooked bills. Many are noisy and vividly colored with two toes pointing backwards. Their flight is rapid and direct with short wing beats often flying up to 100 meters above the ground.
Mature Grey Parrots grow to about 13 inches in length and it is the largest African parrot. They are all gray (darker on back and wings) but with a dramatically contrasting scarlet tail. Adult birds' eyes are pale yellow; young birds have brown eyes. Their bills, feet and legs are almost black in color. Males and females are alike in appearance.
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT:
Grey Parrots can be found in primary and secondary lowland rainforests, also forest edges and clearings, gallery forests and other wooded riverine habitats. Depending upon the area in Africa, they may also be found inhabiting oil-palm plantations, gardens, cultivated land and montane forests up to 2,400 feet or about 2200 meters. Grey Parrots are found in villages of west and central Africa from Sierra Leone east to Cameroon, including Zaire, Uganda, West Kenya and northwest Tanzania, as well as on the Sesse islands in Lake Victoria.
BEHAVIOR:
Every night in Gabon, vast flocks of thousands of Grey Parrots gather at traditional roosting sites in river valleys where the trees are often over water, far from their feeding areas. In other regions, the roosting flocks are smaller but it is common to find over 100 birds in a single tree. This species prefers treetops and especially like to perch on the fronds of oil palms
They communicate with a variety of high-pitched screams and loud clear whistles in flight and when perched. Before settling down for the night loud whistles and raucous shrieks can be heard and at sunrise, they chase through the trees performing curious acrobatics before flying off to feeding areas. When alarmed, they give a harsh screech.
In general, they are a shy bird, rarely allowing close approach; however locally they become quite tame. The African Grey Parrot is renowned for its remarkable powers of vocal mimicry. Recently it has been shown that they have cognitive abilities as well.
DIET:
They feed on seeds, nuts, fruits and berries gathered mostly in the treetops. When feeding they usually climb from branch to branch, rather than flying, and will hold the fruit or nut in its foot to eat.
Grey Parrots are especially fond of eating the outer oily flesh of the oil-palm nut. They also prefer the red fruits of the Cola tragacantha, when available being careful not to eat the stone. They have also acquired a fondness for grain, and in West Africa they do immense damage to maize crops. It is almost impossible to drive them away because they become so bold.
REPRODUCTION and GROWTH:
African Grey Parrots are monogamous. Few details are known in the wild about courtship but display flights around nest-holes have been recorded. The breeding season seems to be variable. Breeding occurs in loose colonies with each pair occupying its own tree. In captivity, copulation is preceded by the male feeding the female and by mating dances in which both sexes droop wings.
One to four eggs are laid at 3-day intervals high in a large tree cavity where they are incubated only by the female. They do not use any nesting material; eggs are laid in the wood-dust at the bottom of the nest-hole which is 23 (60cm) to 78 (200cm) inches deep. Both parents care for the chicks. The chicks will leave the next at 2 to 3 months and can feed themselves although the parents will still attend to them and feed them until about 4 months of age.
African Grey Parrots are preyed upon by black sparrow hawks
Family: Psittacidae
Genus: Psittacus
Kingdom: Animalia;
Scientific name: Poicephalus senegalus.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
In general, parrots have large heads and powerfully hooked bills. Many are noisy and vividly colored with two toes pointing backwards. Their flight is rapid and direct with short wing beats often flying up to 100 meters above the ground.
Mature Grey Parrots grow to about 13 inches in length and it is the largest African parrot. They are all gray (darker on back and wings) but with a dramatically contrasting scarlet tail. Adult birds' eyes are pale yellow; young birds have brown eyes. Their bills, feet and legs are almost black in color. Males and females are alike in appearance.
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT:
Grey Parrots can be found in primary and secondary lowland rainforests, also forest edges and clearings, gallery forests and other wooded riverine habitats. Depending upon the area in Africa, they may also be found inhabiting oil-palm plantations, gardens, cultivated land and montane forests up to 2,400 feet or about 2200 meters. Grey Parrots are found in villages of west and central Africa from Sierra Leone east to Cameroon, including Zaire, Uganda, West Kenya and northwest Tanzania, as well as on the Sesse islands in Lake Victoria.
BEHAVIOR:
Every night in Gabon, vast flocks of thousands of Grey Parrots gather at traditional roosting sites in river valleys where the trees are often over water, far from their feeding areas. In other regions, the roosting flocks are smaller but it is common to find over 100 birds in a single tree. This species prefers treetops and especially like to perch on the fronds of oil palms
They communicate with a variety of high-pitched screams and loud clear whistles in flight and when perched. Before settling down for the night loud whistles and raucous shrieks can be heard and at sunrise, they chase through the trees performing curious acrobatics before flying off to feeding areas. When alarmed, they give a harsh screech.
In general, they are a shy bird, rarely allowing close approach; however locally they become quite tame. The African Grey Parrot is renowned for its remarkable powers of vocal mimicry. Recently it has been shown that they have cognitive abilities as well.
DIET:
They feed on seeds, nuts, fruits and berries gathered mostly in the treetops. When feeding they usually climb from branch to branch, rather than flying, and will hold the fruit or nut in its foot to eat.
Grey Parrots are especially fond of eating the outer oily flesh of the oil-palm nut. They also prefer the red fruits of the Cola tragacantha, when available being careful not to eat the stone. They have also acquired a fondness for grain, and in West Africa they do immense damage to maize crops. It is almost impossible to drive them away because they become so bold.
REPRODUCTION and GROWTH:
African Grey Parrots are monogamous. Few details are known in the wild about courtship but display flights around nest-holes have been recorded. The breeding season seems to be variable. Breeding occurs in loose colonies with each pair occupying its own tree. In captivity, copulation is preceded by the male feeding the female and by mating dances in which both sexes droop wings.
One to four eggs are laid at 3-day intervals high in a large tree cavity where they are incubated only by the female. They do not use any nesting material; eggs are laid in the wood-dust at the bottom of the nest-hole which is 23 (60cm) to 78 (200cm) inches deep. Both parents care for the chicks. The chicks will leave the next at 2 to 3 months and can feed themselves although the parents will still attend to them and feed them until about 4 months of age.
African Grey Parrots are preyed upon by black sparrow hawks
Posts
Post a Comment