Family Parrots (Psittacidae)
Endangered
Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus)
Taxonomy
French: Perroquet jaco German: Graupapagei Spanish: Loro yaco
Other common names:
African Grey Parrot
Taxonomy:
Psittacus erithacus
Linnaeus
, 1758,Ghana
.
Subspecies and Distribution
P. e. erithacus
Linnaeus, 1758 – SE Ivory Coast E to W Kenya and NW Tanzania and S to SC DRCongo and Cabinda (N Angola), including Bioko and (probably introduced) São Tomé.
P. e. princeps
Alexander, 1909 – Príncipe I, in Gulf of Guinea.
Feral populations (erithacus) in many African cities.
Descriptive notes
28–39 cm; 402–490 g. Bare facial area around eye whitish, head scaled white on grey extending onto darker grey back and breast; wings mid-grey, primaries blackish... read more
Voice
Wide range of squawks, whistles, shrieks and screams reported, both in flight and perched, with... read more
Habitat
Generally lowland moist forest, both primary and secondary, including edges and clearings, and also... read more
Food and feeding
Fruits and seeds, notably the oily flesh but not stone of oil-palm, the most preferred food in Gabon, also Ficus, Heisteria... read more
Breeding
Season Nov–Apr in Príncipe and Gabon; Feb–Sept in E Africa; Jul–Dec in Zaire. Monogamous. Nest in hole (0·6... read more
Movements
Resident. In Kibale Forest Reserve, W Uganda, abundance related to presence or absence of fruiting... read more
Status and conservation
ENDANGERED. CITES I. Locally abundant with a very large range, hence with a high world population. Believed to have undergone rapid population decline over last 50 years,... read more
Hitherto considered conspecific with P. timneh (which see). Race princeps often considered inseparable from erithacus, but recent study revealed genetic differentiation from mainland populations#R. Two subspecies tentatively recognized.