22. How many grey parrots are left in the world?
It’s hard to know how many African grey parrots are left. Some estimates say that there might be less than a million; others put the number at a few million.
We know that they’re dying off fast: In one of the most sobering statistics, Ghana has lost 99% of its African grey parrots since 1992.
23. What do African grey parrots eat?
African grey parrots are herbivores and occasionally omnivores. Their primary diet consists of fruits, nuts, seeds, and flowers, but they’ll also
munch on snails and small insects when given the opportunity.
In captivity, they can survive on bird pellets, but their diet needs to be supplemented with fruits and veggies. They’ll eat apples, bananas, cucumbers, peas, potatoes, green beans and fresh kale.
Here’s a glimpse of one feeding in the wild.
24. How do African grey parrots hunt?
While most of their food is found through foraging rather than hunting, African grey parrots aren’t afraid to skewer a juicy bug when it stumbles across their path.
They don’t do their dining alone, however. African grey parrots are highly social animals that hunt in flocks, and they have an entire system for finding food in groups. They’ll start by gathering in a single tree with parrots crowded on every branch; then, when their numbers are sufficient, they’ll take turns descending to the ground and looking for sustenance.
The whole flock is never on the ground at the same time. Some are always on the lookout for predators, and even the hunters stay vigilant to danger. It’s very easy to scatter a group of African grey parrots since they’ll take off at the smallest sign of noise or movement.
25. What is the African grey parrot’s Latin name?
The scientific name of the African grey parrot is Psittacus erithacus. Here’s a breakdown of their entire lineage:
- Class: Aves (birds)
- Order: Psittaciformes (parrots)
- Family: Psittacidae (“true” parrots)
- Subfamily: Psittacinae (Old World parrots)
- Genus: Psittacus (African parrots)
- Species: Psittacus erithacus
26. Do African grey parrots mate for life?
It isn’t known whether African grey parrots mate for life, but they do form monogamous pairs that stick together for multiple mating seasons
They’ll perform courtship rituals before accepting each other and laying eggs together, and both parents will feed, shelter, groom, guard, and socialize their babies. This is quite different from other bird species where the mom does everything and dad might not even stick around for the hatching.
With African grey parrots, parents are equal partners in mating and child-rearing.
27. At what age do African grey parrots lay eggs?
African grey parrots reach sexual maturity between 3 – 5 years. Males and females mature at the same rate.
28. How often do African grey parrots lay eggs?
African grey parrots lay eggs 1 – 2 times per year.
We don’t know much about their breeding season, but it seems to correspond to dry weather, so African grey parrots in different countries might lay eggs at different times.
29. How many eggs does the African grey parrot lay?
The eggs of an African grey parrot are white and tiny.
Mom usually lays 3 – 5 at a time, and the hatchlings will weigh just 0.42 – 0.49 ounces at birth. They’ll be red, bald, wrinkled, and hairless. They’ll develop a soft fuzzy layer of down before their first feathers start growing.
30. How do African grey parrots take care of their young?
It starts with incubating their eggs. It takes around 30 days for African grey parrots to hatch, and the female will hide in her tree hole and sit on them the entire time. She won’t move from her post; the male will do all the foraging, and he’ll come back to feed and guard her while she protects the all-important eggs.
Once the babies are born, mom and dad will be active parents together. Their main priority will be protecting the small, vulnerable hatchlings from predation, but they’ll also need to teach them how to eat, fly, forage and vocalize.
Young African grey parrots leave the nest around 12 weeks old, but they won’t go far.
They’ll stick with their parents for many months before they become fully independent. Everyone needs to learn the flock dynamics (including complex hunting formations) and the lessons take time.
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