African Grey Parrots
(Psittacus erithacus)

2 sub-species: Congo and Timneh

14 inches ( 36 cm ). Male and female. Overall color, gray; feathers on crown, forehead, nape, neck, and throat have lighter colored margins. Bare skin around eyes, whitish; tail, red; bill, black; feet, gray.

The Timneh parrot ( P.e. timneh ) which like the Congo form (P.e. erithacus ) is commonly bred, has a horn-colored upper mandible and brown to russet tail feathers. It measures only 12 1/2 inches ( 32 cm ) and is clearly smaller than the Congo variety.

Distribution in the wild: Equatorial Africa from the Ivory Coast in the west to western Kenya in the east, and south as far as northern Angola, southern Congo, and northwestern Tanzania. The gray parrot's distribution is largely identical to the range of the African oil palm, the fruit of which forms the bulk of the bird's diet.

Habitat in the wild: Forested plains. Birds forage in sparsely wooded savannas, and open country. Occasionally, they are also found in mangrove swamps.