Parrots that are bred for pets may be hand fed or otherwise accustomed to interacting with people from a young age to help ensure they will be tame and trusting.

However, parrots are not low maintenance pets; they require feeding, grooming, veterinary care, training, environmental enrichment through the provision of toys, exercise, and social interaction (with other parrots or humans) for good health.

Some large parrot species, including large cockatoos, Amazons, and macaws, have very long lifespans with 80 years being reported and record ages of over one hundred.

Small parrots, such as lovebirds, hanging parrots, and budgies have shorter life spans of up to 15–20 years. Some parrot species can be quite loud, and many of the larger parrots can be destructive and require a very large cage, and a regular supply of new toys, branches, or other items to chew up.

The intelligence of parrots means they are quick to learn tricks and other behaviors — both good and bad — that will get them what they want, such as attention or treats. The popularity, longevity, and intelligence of many of the larger species of pet parrots has led to many of these birds being re-homed during the course of their long lifespans.

A common problem is that large parrot species which are cuddly and gentle as juveniles will mature into intelligent, complex, often demanding adults that can outlive their owners. Due to these problems, and the fact that homeless parrots are not euthanized like dogs and cats, parrot adoption centers and sanctuaries are becoming more common.

The popularity of parrots as pets has led to a thriving — and often illegal — trade in the birds, and some species are now threatened with extinction. A combination of trapping of wild birds and damage to parrot habitats makes survival difficult or even impossible for some species of parrot. Importation of wild caught parrots into the US and Europe is illegal.

The trade continues unabated in some countries. A report published in January 2007 presents a clear picture of the wild-caught parrot trade in Mexico, stating: "The majority of parrots captured in Mexico stay in the country for the domestic trade.

A small percentage of this capture, 4% to 14%, is smuggled into the USA." In the early 1980s an American college student who worked his way through school smuggling parrots across the Rio Grande put his contraband Mexican birds in a cage on an inflatable raft and floated with them across the international river to the U.S. side where a partner would be waiting.

Parrots are found on all tropical and subtropical continents including Australia and the islands of the Pacific Ocean, South Asia, southeast Asia, southern regions of North America, South America and Africa.


Some Caribbean and Pacific islands are home to endemic species. By far the greatest number of parrot species come from Australasia and South America. The lories and lorikeets range from Sulawesi and the Philippines in the north to Australia and across the Pacific as far as French Polynesia, with the greatest diversity being found in and around New Guinea.

The subfamily Arinae encompasses all the Neotropical parrots, including the Amazons, macaws and conures, and range from northern Mexico and the Bahamas to Tierra del Fuego in the southern tip of South America.

The pygmy parrots, subfamily Micropsittinae, are a small genus restricted to New Guinea. The subfamily Nestorinae are three species of aberrant parrots from New Zealand. The broad-tailed parrots, subfamily Platycercinae, are restricted to Australia, New Zealand and Pacific islands as far as Fiji. The final true parrot subfamily, Psittacinae, includes a range of species from Australia and New Guinea to the species found in South Asia and Africa.

The centre of cockatoo biodiversity is Australia and New Guinea, although some species reach the Solomon Islands (and one species formerly occurred in New Caledonia), Indonesia and the Philippines.

Several parrot species enter the cool, temperate regions of South America and New Zealand. One species, the Carolina Parakeet existed in temperate North America, but was hunted to extinction in the early 20th century. Numerous species have been introduced in areas with temperate climates, and have established stable populations in several states of the USA, the United Kingdom and Spain.

While a few parrot species are wholly sedentary or fully migratory, the majority fall somewhere between the two, making poorly understood regional movements, some species adopting an entirely nomadic lifestyle.

The Grand Eclectus was the first Eclectus to be discovered and thus was used as the nominate subspecies or race. This does not mean that this race is the most beautiful of the group, only that the first observers of the Eclectus thought that this bird was indeed grand in its appearance.

The Grand Eclectus is slightly smaller in total length than the Vosmaeri Eclectus, which is closely related in coloration. Even though the Grand is smaller in length, most members of this race are more stocky is body shape than the Vosmaeri or even the Red-sided Eclectus.

Male

The Grand Eclectus male has a duller, but darker green body plumage compared to the Vosmaeri male, which is a bright grass green. The color of its upper mandible ranges in color from the bright candy-corn color to a slightly paler version. It normally does not have a pale orange upper mandible, which is normally a sign of immaturity or inadequate nutrition in its diet.

The Grand male has a faint tip of dull yellow coloration (sometimes appearing as a yellowish-white edging) that can be observed at the end of its tail. This faint yellow tip coloration is much more visual from below (vent side) than it is from the topside. The yellow tip of the tail on the Grand is much fainter than is observed on the Vosmaeri male subspecies. The upper mandible of the Grand male is more slender than it is on any other subspecies.

Female

The Grand Eclectus female is one of the most difficult to identify of any of the female Eclectus subspecies. As stated before some of the color traits found in the Vosmaeri race are found in the Grand race. These individual birds originate from Ceram from the central Moluccas, which borders the islands where the Vosmaeri race originates.

The chest and breast feather coloration of the Grand female is a dull purplish coloration. It is not the bright lavender coloration of the Vosmaeri race. The biggest variation found in Grand females is the placement of the dividing line between the red head and the dull purple chest feathers. Individual variations show the purple chest feathers blending into the red head feathers at the chin line.

This is the least frequently observed. Other Grand females have an inch and one half diffusion of purple feathers blending into the red feathers at the chest. Another group of Grand females have a defined separation between the red feathers and the purple breast feathers.

The tail of the Grand female is shorter in total length than is found in the Vosmaeri female. The tail of the Grand female appears as an orangeish coloration often tending to an orangish-yellow tinge. This orange-yellow coloration is brighter on the top or rump side. The central ‘ ;V’ area of the vent is usually a darkish red coloration. Her iris is yellowish to a whitish yellow in color.

There are several defined areas to observer in comparing a Grand female and a hybrid (Grand or Vosmaeri X Red-sided) Eclectus. A hybrid between these two groups (the lavender group and the cobalt blue group) is one that it will almost always have a blue eye-wing, which is absent in the Grand female. The second area to observe is the coloration of the tail feathers.

The hybrid usually shows a tail that is reddish in coloration while the Grand female will show an orange to yellow-orange coloration. The next significant difference is that the hybrid will show a cobalt-purple chest while the Grand female retains the purple coloration.

The last and possibly most significant is that the bib on the hybrid is not visually observed flowing on the body going over the wing bend. It retains the flat bib line across the chest as is observed in any of the red-sided group. Any purple or lavender Eclectus female (which includes both the Grand and the Vosmaeri races) will always have a broad line of purple or lavender observed flowing on the body up and over the wing bend.

The African grey parrot is one of the most popular pet parrots available. Many people get the name of the parrot wrong and in fact spell African grey parrot as 'African gray parrot'. This is indeed wrong but if you made a mistake then don't worry about it! This article will endeavor to explain everything there is to know about the African grey parrot or the African gray parrot!



What Do They Look Like?

As you would have probably guessed already, the African grey parrot is mostly grey all over with a shade of grey around the facial region. Their beaks are generally black and they have a tinge of red underlying beneath their tails that help them to stand out from many other grey parrots. They come from the Congo region in Africa and are constantly hunters by traffickers due to the fact that they can sell for quite a lot of money in Western parts of the world.

Efforts are being made to stop this from occurring and in recent history there seems to be a reduction in the number of birds being trafficked overseas. This has also sparked a revival in their overall numbers in the wild which means things are starting to look up for the African grey.

African Grey Parrot Training?

African grey parrots are one of the most brilliant breeds on Earth and are said to be one of the best speakers out of all the parrots. They have the ability to put together whole phrases and can actually learn quite fast. This is one of the major reasons why so many parrot owners choose to own African grays.

Is There Anything I Should Know Before I decide To Buy An African Grey Parrot?

Yes, actually there is a lot you need to learn before you going out and buy your own. First of all you have to make sure you know where you are getting your parrot from as many of them are trafficked into the country as was discussed previously in the article. Secondly if you have no experience whatsoever in parrot handling, I would recommend starting off with a bird that is much easier to handle such as a budgie for example.

Lastly African grey parrots are animals that thrive on enthusiasm and attention. If you know you aren't going to be able to spend enough time looking after and training your parrot then do the right thing and let someone who does have a go. There are too many people out there abusing the privilege of owning such magnificent creatures just so they can tell their friends that they own a parrot.

I'm not trying to put you off buying one, all I'm saying is that you need to sum up your life and make sure there is room for an African grey parrot in it and if there is, I hope you enjoy many years of great success and happiness with your parrot!