Lava Girl is a beautiful African Grey parrot, known for her striking grey plumage and remarkable intelligence. Like other animals at Animal Tracks, she’s here because her previous human companions made the difficult but compassionate decision to bring her to a sanctuary where she can thrive in an environment tailored to her needs.
African Grey parrots are incredibly intelligent, often capable of learning words, sounds, and even understanding basic concepts. But with that intelligence comes the need for significant mental stimulation and social interaction. Lava Girl has now the opportunity to live in a place where she can engage with other animals and caretakers who care for her for the rest of her life.
ORDER: Psittaciformes
FAMILY: Psittacidae
GENUS: Psittacus
SPECIES: P. erithacus
The grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus), also known as the Congo grey parrot, Congo African grey parrot or African grey parrot, is an Old World parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is medium-sized, predominantly grey and black-billed. Its typical weight is 400 g (14 oz), with an approximate length of 33 cm (13 in), and a wingspan of 46–52 cm (18–20+1⁄2 in).
Due to selection by breeders, some grey parrots are now partly or completely red. Both sexes appear similar. Juvenile coloration is similar to that of adults, but typically their eyes are dark grey to black, compared to adults' yellow irises around dark pupils, and their undertail coverts are tinged with grey. Adults weigh 418–526 g (14+3⁄4–18+1⁄2 oz).
Grey parrots may live for 40–60 years in captivity, although their mean lifespan in the wild appears to be shorter — approximately 23 years. They start breeding at an age of 3–5 years and lay 3-5 eggs per brood.
The grey parrot is native to equatorial Africa, including Angola, Cameroon, the Congo, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda. The species is found inside a range from Kenya to the eastern part of the Ivory Coast. Current estimates for the global population are uncertain and range from 630,000 to 13 million birds. Populations are decreasing worldwide.
Threats
Wildlife Trade. Poaching.
Conservation Status
EN - Endangered