Grey parrot

The grey parrot, also known as the Congo grey parrot or African grey, is a parrot from Africa. It is considered one of the smartest birds and is famous for its ability to copy human speech. It has a grey body and, as the card notes, a bright red tail.

Linnaeus described it in 1758. For a long time the Timneh parrot was counted as a subspecies, but since a 2007 study it has been treated as a separate species. In the wild, the card says it lives in big flocks in rainforest and eats mostly fruit and nuts. Its scientific name is Psittacus erithacus, and it lives in Africa's rainforests.

Clever and talkative

Grey parrots are known for their intelligence and speaking skills. Quiz data says a grey parrot named Alex learned more than 100 words and could name colours and shapes.

The species name erithacus comes from an ancient Greek word for a bird said to mimic human sounds. The Timneh parrot, once thought to be a subspecies, is now its own species.

Conservation and name changes

Quiz data lists the grey parrot as endangered. It was previously called the African grey parrot, but the name changed when the Timneh parrot was split off.

Its length is about 33 cm, and it may live very long, up to about 60 years according to quiz data. Its genus name Psittacus is simply Latin for parrot, and it belongs to the parrot family Psittacidae.

On the globe

The model shows a grey parrot with its red tail. Look for the grey body and the bright red tail feathers.