Eclectus

NAME:
Eng. Eclectus Parrot, solomon island eclectus parrot, red sided eclectus
Lat. Eclectus Roratus

On the photo up you can see beautiful male eclectus parrot.

ORIGIN: Buru and Ceram, Moluccan Islands, Indonesia; extinct on Ambon, Saparua and Haruku. Northern and central Moluccas, Indonesia, including islands of Halmahera, Morotai, Batjan, Obi, Damar, Mare and Kayao; probably already extinct on Ternate and Tidore.

PHYSICAL APPEARENCE: The male is dark green; head lightly tinged in yellow; sides of body and under-wing coverts red; under-tail coverts yellowish-green; bend of wing blue; outer webs of primaries are dark blue with narrow green edging; central tail-feathers green with olive-yellow tips; outer tail feathers blackish-green becoming blackish-blue to dark blue towards the tip and with narrow yellowish-white edging at the end; tail-underside blackish and with narrow yellowish-white edging; upper mandible red with yellow tip, lower mandible blackish; iris yellow to orange-yellow; feet dark grey.

Here you can see young male and female eclectus parrots in the hands of the owner.

The female is generally dark red; back and wings brownish-red; abdomen, sides of body, lower breast, broad band across nape and back of neck violet; occasionally upper breast also violet; bend and edge of wing violet-blue; under wing-coverts dark violet-blue; primary coverts and outer webs of secondaries dark-blue; under-tail coverts red; birds from Ceram have yellowish tinge to tips of under-tail coverts; upperside of tail is red with indistinct orange-yellow edging; tail underside is orange-red with dark centre and yellowish edging; bill blackish; iris yellowish; feet dark grey.

KEEPING AND CARE: These quiet and pleasant parrots are very often kept as pets. Eclectus parrots are very popular because of their markedly striking colors. Socialization is not a problem, but it is easier and more successful when the young birds and birds are fed by a hand. Acclimatization of birds from the wilderness is not always successful and often ends in death. The change in dietary intake can also have a stressful impact on these parrots. Birds will feel more comfortable in a larger cage and they like being let free so as to communicate with all people living in a house.

Eclectus parrot as pet.

The cage has to be made of strong wire so it can not be destroyed or end up hurting the birds. They are very friendly with other parrots except in breeding season when they tend to be aggressive. The imitation of human speech is as successful as is the case with other types of parrots. They often learn to pronounce a few words. Before one decides to buy this parrot it would be important to locate a place where the bird is going to be placed. Draught winds, direct sunlight or any noisy place must be avoided so as to provide the bird with peace and quiet. As they love bathing, it should be provided at least twice a week.

DIET: Fruit and vegetables are very important in the nutrition of these parrots. Figs, mango, apples (except the core) and bananas are their favourite fruit sweets. It is recommended to give them carrots, celery, tomato, garlic, cucumbers and peas. A diet of seed-food consists of speckled sunflower seeds, hemp, millet, canary seeds, oily turnip, shelled oats and wheat. It is also recommended to give them nuts and walnuts to provide them with enough vitamin A. Minerals and cuttle-bone should always be available.

BREEDING OF ECLECTUS PARROTS: Breeding is neither difficult nor hard for bred birds. At the beginning of breeding, the female is usually aggressive. She fights with her male partner, not allowing him to reach the food. After breeding the pair begins to feed mutually and spends all their time together. At the beginning of April, the female clutches two (rarely three) eggs in a nest of about 30 cm (12 in) in width and length and about 80 cm (32 in) in height. Incubation lasts from 27 to 30 days.

Female eclectus bird in the nest ready for heatching the eggs.

Two babies of eclectus parrots, hatched in the aviary and fed by hand.

The female sits on the eggs while the male takes care of the nest and feeds the female. After hatching, the young stay in the nest about 75 days. After the female has left the box, she may be aggressive towards the young birds and in this case the young birds must be separated from their mother. During the year they can have two or more breedings; however, more than two breedings should not be allowed. The nest must be removed or the male must be separated from the female.

INTERESTING FACTS: Their average life span is about 45 years.

Eclectus as the part of happy family.

Their sex is easily distinguished, and this makes them unique compared to other parrots. The female has more distinctive colors than the male, which is rare in the animal world. They can learn to imitate about ten words easily, otherwise they are not talkative parrots.

Sulphur Crested Cockatoo

NAME:
Eng. Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Yellow Crested Cockatoo
Lat. Cacatua Galerita

On the photo up you can see sulphur crested cockatoo with yellow crest on the head.

ORIGIN: All birds of the Cockatoo family are found in Australia, on the islands and New Zealand. This species can be found in eastern and south-eastern Australia, Tasmania, and the Islands including New Zealand.

PHYSICAL APPEARENCE: In nature, cockatoos can be seen only in white, black and pink apart from the Cockatiel described later. These are the only parrots that have a crest. Their sex is not distinguishable. The eye color in the male is something of a darker shade than in females.
They live 50 to 80 years if provided with hospitable conditions. In nature, their life span is much shorter.
Apart from this species of cockatoo, there are a few other species that differ not only in physical appearance but also by size : Lesser Suphur-crested Cockatoo (33 cm;13 in), Blue-eyed Cockatoo (50 cm; 20 in), Salmon-crested Cockatoo (52 cm; 20.5 in), White Cockatoo (45 cm; 18 in), Goffin's Cockatoo (32 cm; 12.5 in), Galah (35 cm; 13.5 in), Bare-eyed Corella (40 cm; 15 in). The conditions required for keeping and feeding of all these species are the same as that for the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo.

Sulphur crested cockatoo in aviary.

KEEPING AND CARE: As pets they are kept exclusively separate so as to allow them to socialize more easily and to adapt to humans. As the exportation of these birds has been forbidden because of the interest of natural heritage protection, one can only buy the parrots that have been bred in captivity. The birds that are bred in captivity are more calm and more easily socialized. Some breeders feed these birds by hand and separating them from the parents about 20 days after hatching. Even though it seems to be a cruel way of raising, such birds are very capable of adapting and imitating human speech.
These parrots should be kept in spacious cages or in the case of the more socialized birds, allowed to be free on a stand.
It is always recommanded to get a cage or a stand before buying the bird, so one can choose the most comfortable place before acquiring the bird so as not to upset the bird. The cage with a bird has to be placed out of draught winds and direct sunlight because these are the most common reasons for premature death. This also applies to other pets.

This is me taking recording of pet cockatoo.

DIET: Cockatoos are fed with a mixture of larger seeds consisting of striped sunflower, peanuts, shelled oats, maize seeds, walnut, various fresh and dried fruit, and vegetables. The important mineral and vitamin components should be included in their nutrition.


BREEDING COCKATOO PARROT: One has to take care of various factors in order for the breeding to be successful. Birds should be settled in appropriate aviaries with a lot of green plants and natural light. It is recommended that the aviaries consist of two parts, an inner part and outer uncovered part which has to be more spacious so the bird can fly, with a few rungs for sunbathing or bathing if it rains. This is important so as to imitate the natural living conditions.Minimal length of the outer part should be 3.0 m (118 in) width 0.80 m (32 in) and height 2.0 m (78 in). The inner part should not be so spacious so that the birds can spend most of the time in the outer part. Breeding in closed areas is possible to acheive with the adequate temperature which can even reach 35C (95F) with minimal air humidity, just as it is found in nature.

Male and female cockatoo pair in aviary ready for breeding.

After the adequate conditions are provided, an important factor to be considered is nutrition. Apart from the standard mixtures, nutrition is enriched by food supplied with vitamin E that stimulates breeding and food based on eggs. They settle in tree holes, so they should be provided with a nest made of an old stump or wooden box, 60 cm (24 in) in height, 40 cm (16 in) in width and length, filled with slightly larger wood chips. Females usually clutch two, rarely three eggs, about 4 cm (1.5 in) in size and a shiny white color.

This is a baby of umbrella baby cockatoo. It is feeded by hand - that way we get best tamed birds.

Incubation lasts from 25 to 30 days. The younglings are fed by both parents and stay in the nest about 8-10 weeks. The eye color of the younger birds is darker, but after six months gradually changes from lighter to white color. The young birds separate from their parents after they start to feed themselves. If the adult birds are not good parents it is still possible to feed the bird by hand. As a supplement to the average nutrition, food based on eggs enriched with proteins can be added.

INTERESTING FACTS: The cockatoo family is characterized by the crests on their head. The crest is a very good indicator of a bird's mood. When a bird feels upset and frightened the crest is erected, accompanied by a loud calling. White crests are seen only in one type of species (White Cockatoo), but they can be in yellow, pink, red or black in color.

Baby cockatoo bird wait to found the new owner.

They differ according to size depending on the species.
They have a great ability to imitate human speech.
Their life span in a cage can reach up to 80 years.
They can hold great grudges if they are badly treated.
They like learning to perform various reckless acts.
Of the big parrot species, these parrots are the most common pets.

Blue Fronted Amazon Parrot

NAME:
Eng. Blue fronted Amazon Parrot, Blue Front Amazon
Lat. Amazona a. Aestiva

On the photo up you can see blue fronted amazon parrot.

ORIGIN: Eastern parts of Brazil and the coastal areas by the river Rio Grande.

PHYSICAL APPEARENCE: Blue fronted amazon parrots are 37 cm (15 in) in size. Their basic color is green, and the forehead is blue, hence their name. The lores and the periophthalamic ring are yellow. The upper edges of the wings are red and wing coverts are yellow-green. The tail is green with green-yellow sides. The bill is dark grey. The iris is orange. The feet are grey with dark nails. Thier sex is not easily distinguishable. They are often mistaken with a small Amazon (Amazon amazonica) which is smaller and is more pale in color. Click for more Amazon parrot pictures.

Some people call them simply - green parrot.

KEEPING AND CARE OF AMAZON PARROT: The birds of this family are calm and generally not noisy. Blue fronted amazon parrot produce sounds at dawn and sunset. They can be kept on a stand or in a cage. A cage of medium size with strong wires is appropriate for their keeping. As pets it is better to keep them separate because in pairs they will not become as tame as when they are on their own.

Here you can see two blue front amazon parrots from local pet shop.

Blue fronted amazons are communicative and like being the center of attention. They can imitate different melodies very well like the sound of a telephone ringing, the barking of a dog or a child crying. The speech imitation is not as distinctive as it is in the grey African parrots; however, this must be understood on an individual basis. There are cases that have gone beyond expectations with the speech of the Grey African parrots. It is recommended to get younger birds hatched in shelters as their socialzation is faster and such birds are more attached to the owner. As they like bathing, it should be provided once to twice a week. We can do this by splashing them with water at a mild temperature.

DIET: The nutrition of amazon parrot, like that of other big parrots, consists of speckled sunflower seeds, seeds of peanuts, maize, shelled oats, pine seeds, buckweat and hemp. The nutrion must be enriched by minerals, fruits and vegetables. They like apples, grapes, carrots
and chicory as well as young tender corn.

BREEDING OF BLUE FRONT AMAZON PARROT: In nature, the breeding season begins in September and lasts until March. In captivity, breeding begins in April. It may begin in the middle of winter as well. The most adaquate temperature for breeding stimulation is 20C (68F). Amazon parrot prefer a lot of humidity in the air as it is found in their natural habitat. The birds that one has decided to breed should not be disturbed and, if possible, they should be isolated. The aviaries have to be large enough, 2 m to 3 m (80-118 in) in length, 2 m (80 in) high and 0.8 to 1 m (32-40 in) wide. The aviary is made of two inner parts or a winter and outer part.

On image, blue fronted amazon parrot picture in aviary.

A few thick branches should be put in the aviaries so the birds are free to climb. The nest could be made from a tree stump or it can be a wooden box of 80 cm in height and 30 cm in length and width (32x12x12 in). It can be placed in the inner part of an aviary so as to prevent the birds from being disturbed while laying on their eggs. A female usually clutches 3 to 4 eggs, sometimes 5. Incubation lasts 26 days. The younglings start fetching the food by themselves after 60 days and thus begin to be independent. Watching over the eggs and the younglings is essential after the first couple of days. If the parents are not feeding the younglings adequately, one will have to feed them by hand. During the breeding season, as well as the time of feeding the younglings, one must increase the protein diet which is based on eggs.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT AMAZON PARROT: They appear in almost all pirate movies.

On the photo up is the picture of the yellow fronted amazon parrot. Roles for keeping and breeding are the same like for blue fronted amazon birds.

They can live up to 100 years, but the avarage life span in shelters is about 60 years.
They are calm birds and love small children.
They are more tolerant than other parrots.

Green Winged Macaw

NAME: Eng. Green Winged Macaw, Greenwing Macaw Lat. Ara Chloroptera On the photo up you can see one nice green winged macaw. ORIGIN: Eastern Panama and northwest Colombia; East of Andes from eastern Colombia and Venezuela, south Ecuador, Peru, Guyana and Surinam to Brazil. Western and eastern Bolivia, Paraguay and the Argentinian province of Formosa. PHYSICAL APPEARENCE: There are eighteen species of macaws and the biggest macaw is Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthus) sized 100 cm (40 in in length.The dwarfish macaw (Macaw n.Nobilis), sized only 30 cm (12 in) in length, belongs to one of the smallest species of macaws. There are two species of macaws which are most commonly kept as pets: the Green-winged Macaws and the Blue and Yellow Macaws. According to the size, the Green-winged Macaw belongs to a group of larger macaws, sized 90 cm (36 in) It is one of the most speckled of the macaw species. Red is the dominant color of these birds. The wings are dark red near the torso and green in the middle while wing tips are blue with dark blue edgings. The shoulders are covered with red feathers and with green outer edgings. GreenWing Macaw bird play on grass. The tail is a dark red color with blue tips and a middle stripe. The bill horn is big and powerful, and the upper part of the bill is an ivory color with blackish sides. The lower part is totally black. The feet are dark grey with dark nails. The iris is pale-yellow. Around the eye, there is a weak feathered part of white color speckled with red feathers. Their sex is not clearly distinguishable. Females tend to be larger with a wider forehead. KEEPING AND CARE: The cage where macaws are kept must be comfortable enough and of minimal dimensions, 120 cm (47 in) in width and 100 cm (40 in) in length. It should be made of strong wires as they like climbing on it by using their strong bill. The cage must be placed in peaceful surroundings and protected from draught winds. In oppressive heat, it is recommended to avoid direct sunlight. Macaws have been known to be capable of prounouncing about 50 words. Macaws are generally not so talkative and are able to learn only about 10 words. As pets, they are most frequently kept separately. They have a loud voice but they are rarely vocal. If you consider getting one as a pet, it is better to acquire it as young as possible for the sake of easier socialization. All macaws hatched in captivity wear a ring with the first year of birth and a breeder's register number around the leg. These birds are mainly fed by hand so they are calm, socialized and tame. Macaw as pet picture. DIET: The main source of nutrition is speckled (protein) sunflower. Apart from the sunflower, their dietary intake consists of white sunflower, peanuts, shelled oats, corn seeds, pine-nuts, buckweat and hemp. As an additional source of nutrition, various tropical fruits, vegetables and various kinds of nuts can be added. Food rich in minerals is very important for their nutrition. It can be added both as a cuttle-bone or as a ready-made mixture. Fruits and vegetables must be also included, especially apples, bananas, grapes, carrots, blade and chicory. BREEDING MACAWS: In nature they live in pairs or in smaller flocks of 10 birds. Apart from the Red Macaws there are Blue and Yellow Macaws and Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao). Breeding in shelters is very complicated. Macaws are monogamic birds so they stay with their mating partner for their entire life. The selected birds can fledge very soon but sometimes they need up to 10 days. Aviaries must be comfortable enough with fairly thick branches that allow standing and serve for sharpening their bill. It is recommended that the aviaries consist of two parts: exterior and interior part. In breeding season, the nest made of a block of wood or a wooden box, should be placed in the interior part as to protect the birds. The nest must be spacious enough. The optimal measure for a nest is 55x70x100 cm (22x28x40 in) with an entrance hole of 22 cm (8 in). Breeding macaws is very complicated. On the picture above is shown breeding nest. It's not possible to see macaw's eggs inside. The breeding period begins in April. During the breeding period, the birds become unsettled and show aggressiveness. They usually clutch 1 to 3 eggs which are not often fertile. Incubation lasts 25 to 27 days. Eggs and the younglings must be checked regularly. It is very common for the parents to break the eggs. The nest must be checked when the adult birds are out of the nest in order not to scare the birds, break the eggs or injure the younglings by chance. It is also recommended that a nest have an outside access for checking so as not to scare the birds by approaching the aviary. Parents take care of the birds for the first 12 weeks.Food based on eggs, which is highly protein, is added as a diet supplement at the time of the birds feeding. If one notices that the birds are weak and skinny, one must support them or completely feed them by hand. Birds fed by hand are more tame and may facilitate smoother socialization toward humans. INTERESTING FACTS: There are examples of these birds which have lived up to 120 years, but on average macaw life span is about 80 years. On the picture you can see macaw as pet. Generally they are not talkative parrots, but there are some examples of macaws whose talk could even be compared to the most talkative birds, Grey Parrots. Their species is among the largest within the parrot kingdom. In nature, great flocks of about 100 and even more individual birds can be seen searching for minerals and nutrition among rocks. They love bathing. They can be taught to perform various tricks.

Cockatiel

NAME: Eng. Cockatiel, (misspelled sometimes Cockatail, Cockateil) Lat. Nymphicus Hollandicus On the photo up you can see cockatiel birds. Sometimes people mispell the the word cockatiel, with cockatail. ORIGIN: Cocktiel bird is found in the greater areas of Australia except for eastern, northern and southern coastal populated areas. PHYSICAL APPEARENCE: Cockatiel dominant color is grey. The wings and abdomen are darker. The head and crest are yellow, cheeks are orange-red. The great-wing coverts and the forward secondaries are white. The lower back, upper-tail coverts and middle-tail feathers are dark grey. The underside tail is black-grey. The bill and the part above the bill are grey. The iris is black-brown. Their feets are grey. Their sex is distinguishable. The crest in the female is yellow-grey while in the male it is totally yellow. The cheeks in females are pale orange. Young males have more yellow color on the head than females of the same age. Cockatiel birds can be found in several mutations which are white, albino (without the pigment), beady, speckled, birds without features (they have only the combination of grey and white colors). These are the most common. On the picture you can see grey cockatails birds. The female cockatiel has yellow-grey crest while in the male it is totally yellow. KEEPING AND CARE OF cockatiels: As budgerigars, cockatiels are most frequently kept as pets. They belong to a medium-sized class of parrots. It is very easy to tame them and teach them to imitate human speech. In order to become as tame as possible and attached to the owner, it is best to keep them separate. Young birds are easier to tame and they start to speak earlier. They do not demand very much keeping space. A cage of medium size is enough for their keeping. They like being free so that they can spend time on the owner's shoulder. Tame birds spend most of their time outside the cage. They enter the cage only to feed themselves and drink water. When they are outside the cage, it is advisable for one of the family members to watch them because they may hurt themselves or cause damage by nibbling on the furniture. The cage should be kept out of draught winds or a heat source, so that the bird is provided with normal life conditions. On the picture you can see one Lutino Cockatiel as a pet. This pet cockatiel is well tamed. In videos section you can see those two guys how they play together. COCKATIEL DIET: Speckled sunflower is the basic component of the mixture consisting of millet seeds, canary seeds and seeds of saffron, shelled oats, hemp, buckweat and flax seeds. Cuttle-bone and minerals have to always be available. Apples and carrots are their favourite sweets including blade, chicory and grapes. They like pecking into our plates, which should be avoided as it could lead to gastric problems caused by inadequate food intake. BREEDING and COCKATIEL NESTING: Breeding of cockatiel birds is easy. The breeding season lasts throughout the entire year. They breed also in winter if the temperature does not fall below 12C (54F). Cockatiel birds are inoffensive to other birds. It is possible to keep even more pairs together or even with other species of parrots.They can breed in aviaries or in larger cages. The nest should be placed on the upper part of the aviary or cage and the inside filled with large wood chips. On the photo you can see cockateil eggs with baby cockatiels. Breeding of coctails is easy. The appropriate dimensions of a nest are 25 cm (10 in) in length and 30 cm (12 in) in height. A male chooses the nest where a female cockatiel laying eggs. It lays 4-5 eggs, but sometimes cockatiels laying up to 8 eggs. Incubation lasts 18-19 days. The young stay in a nest for 33 days and separate three weeks after leaving the nest. For the nutrition of the younglings, it is necessary to give them boiled eggs or food based on eggs so the birds can develop to their full potential. Baby Cockateil birds taken from the nest. cockatiel breeder take the babys from the nest for this photo. INTERESTING FACTS: Average cockatail life span is 15 years, but there are cases where they have lived for 30 years or more. They belong to the family of cockatoos and they are the smallest members of this family. Pet cockatiel on owner's shoulder. Males can be distinguished from females by whistling or cockatiel singing. There are a great variations of cockatiel color and mutations. The birds of white-yellow color are the most popular ones. They can learn to pronounce a number of words and there are cases of those able to pronounce more than fifty words.

African Grey Parrot

Parrot name:
Eng. African Grey Parrot
Comon names: congo african grey parrot, gray parrot
Lat. Psittacus Erithacus Erithacus

On photo, african grey parrot plays with plastic toy.

ORIGIN: West Kenia, Angola from the north to the south, South Congo, Northeastern Tanzania, the islands Fernando Poo and Principe. Isolated colonies can be found on the mountain Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

PHYSICAL APPEARENCE: Their most common color is ash-grey with white edgings which are most distinctive on the head. In some examples, the dominant color is dark grey, which could be connected with the place where the population settles. African grey parrots are also very rare white, albino, birds that lack pigment. In certain examples, red feathers on the greater part of the body occur. African grey parrots used to be called "fiery birds"by the natives who would esteem them dearly. The tail is short and blunt, which is the characteristic for most of the African grey parrots. Tail is 8-9.5 cm (3-4 in) in length with an intense red color. The wing length is 23-25 cm (9-10 in). The spreading on the greater part of the tail and the wings are a steady darker grey color. They have a short, strong black bill. The nostrils are small. The head profile is rounded. The iris are light-yellow,and the part around the eyes is not covered with feathers, it is a rounded shape. Their feet color is dark-grey with black nails. Their sex is not easily distinguishable and therefore difficult to determine.
The young birds have darker feathers and darker eyes. The population that settles in Nigeria has a distinctive darker color of the wing, whereas the birds from the Congo area are identifiable by their size. They are 33 cm (12 in) in size. There is one more subspecies of grey parrots called Psittacu erythacus timneh which are 30 cm (12 in) and they have darker feathers. The tail color of this subspecies is dark red-brown. This subspecies settles in the northern areas of Africa. You can also check our amazing african grey parrot pictures.

On photo you can see normall apperiance of the african grey parrot, also somotemes called congo african gray parrot.

KEEPING AND CARE: The Grey Parrot, regardless of the subspecies that it belongs to, must be distinguished from all other parrots when it comes to human speech imitation. They have the ability to logically connect phrases by pronouncing them at the right time. Exemples of greys talk check at our cool grey parrot videos. They can pronounce phrases like "Good morning"or "Good night" at the appropriate time. As pets, they should be kept separately so taming is much easier. It is not suprising that the birds kept in pairs are also tame. In shelters, these parrots forget their natural way of producing sounds and are capable of imitating various tunes or melodies of whistling. There are cases where the birds are never totally tame despite the fact that they learned to pronounce a number of words very easily. The cage where the Grey Parrot is kept has to be spacious enough and has to have thicker wires. The door of the cage has to be secure as they can learn to open it by themselves very easily. They love bathing. It is recommended to splash them with the water of mild temperatures once or twice a week. In this way, the feathers stay healthy and hold close to the body.

On picture is shown tamed grey parrot.

DIET: The main diet consists of speckled (protein) sunflower with the supplements of shelled oats, sorghum, hemp, peanuts, buckweat and pine seeds. The seeds of walnut and hazel-nuts in certain amounts (because of the high percentage of oil) could be given as sweets. Minerals and vitamins should be included as well as fruits and vegetables. The natural protein nutrition can be supplied with a small piece of boiled veal or chicken bone (the marrow is rich with proteins).

BREEDING AFRICAN GREY PARROT: In nature, they live in big flocks, at the top of the trees. They are always searching for seeds and fruits. During breeding season, pairs are separated when searching for appropriate holes in a tree. In captivity, the nest has to be at least 60 cm (24 in) deep, 30 cm (12 in) wide and 12-15 cm (5-6 in) long. The nest should be filled with small twigs or with large wood chips. A female clutches 2-4 white eggs. Incubation lasts 26 days. When the younglings are hatched, one must depart from the common nutrition and add food enriched with protein, such as eggs and ready-made protein supplements for the young birds. In shelters, cannibalism is very common.The reason lies in the fact that it is necessary to check on the condition of the birds every few days, even more often in the early stages. All pairs are not necessarily good parents; therefore, in some cases, the younglings must be fed by hand. Such birds are tamer and their socialization is easier. The ability to imitate speech is individual.
The younglings leave the nest after 11 weeks, and become independent 2-3 weeks after leaving the nest. Aviaries have to be spacious, with a lot of thick branches so while nibbling the birds can also sharpen their bill. It is recommended that aviaries consist of two parts, an outer and an inner closed part. These parrots cannot stand low temperatures and in closed areas the temperature should not reach below 5C (41F).

On upper image we can see one baby african grey parrot hatched from the eggs a few days ago.

AFRICAN GREY PARROT INTERESTING FACTS: They are capable of imitating a number of words and pronouncing them with understanding.
They are characterized by their great intelligence.
Very often they imitate the sounds of the person of whom they are most attached.

Upper picture shows african grey parrots as pet. I met a lot of people who says for their "grey birds" they would never sold them for any money, never.

They produce sounds in order to attract the attent of the person of whom they are most attached. You can listen african grey parrot sound here. When speaking in the presence of strangers, they turn their back as if they are uninterested.
They have a good memory and if they are mistreated they can be very unforgiving.

12 Must Dos with Parrot/Bird TLC

I want to do this! What's This?

Parrots can make wonderful pets if they are cared for properly. Caring for a parrot can be easy and enjoyable.

Things You'll Need:

• Bird Food/water Bowls
• Bird Perches
• Bird Toys
• Parrot Cages
• Parrot Food
• Parrot Play Pens
• Parrot Treat

Cage Setup and Cleaning

1. 1

   Buy a cage large enough for the parrot to be able to move around comfortably and have room to spread both wings.

2. 2

   Line the bottom of the cage with paper and change daily.

3. 3

   Provide toys, a perch, and food and water bowls.

4. 4

   Place a sheet of Plexiglas on the wall to prevent stains.

5. 5

   Wipe food and feces off the cage, perch and toys daily with hot water.

6. 6

   Wash the food and water bowls twice daily.

7. 7

   Clean the cage thoroughly every three months.

Grooming and Feeding

8. 1

   Wash your parrot at least once a week with water. Dry with a towel.

9. 2

   Clip your parrot's nails when they become long.

10. 3

    Talk to your parrot. Social contact is important.

11. 4

    Feed your parrot a balanced diet containing fruits, vegetables, meats and grains.

12. 5

    Give your parrot fresh water every day.