Editing Psittacus (section)

==Behavior and ecology==
===Breeding===
Grey parrots are [[monogamy in animals|monogamous]] breeders which nests in tree cavities. The hen lays 3-5 eggs, which she incubates for 30 days while being fed by her mate. Young leave the nest at the age of 12 weeks. Little is known about the courtship behaviour of this species in the wild.<ref name=adw>{{cite web|last=Holman|first=Rachel|title=Psittacus erithacus|url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Psittacus_erithacus/|publisher=Animal Diversity Web|access-date=18 March 2014}}</ref>

===Longevity===
<!-- To be expanded into a 'life history' section with nesting/breeding/juvenile bird/sexual maturity/etc. info? -->
Like many large parrots, greys are [[longevity|long-lived]] birds. The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database states the longest reliably recorded longevity for the species in captivity as 49.7 years. Also acknowledged are claims of captive grey parrots reaching the ages of 73 and 93,<ref name=anage>{{cite web|title=Longevity, ageing, and life history of Psittacus erithacus|url=http://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Psittacus_erithacus|publisher=The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database|access-date=7 September 2011}}</ref> whereas the [[World Parrot Trust]] lists a longevity of 50–60 years for a grey in captivity.<ref name=wpt>{{cite web|title=Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) {{!}} Parrot Care|url=http://www.parrots.org/index.php/encyclopedia/captivestatus/grey_parrot/|publisher=World Parrot Trust|access-date=7 September 2011}}</ref> The [[Guinness Book of World Records]] listed a grey parrot that allegedly lived in captivity for 72 years as the longest-lived specimen for the species.<ref name = "Wood">{{cite book | author = Wood, Gerald | url = https://archive.org/details/guinnessbookofan00wood | title = The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats | year = 1983 | publisher = Guinness Superlatives | isbn = 978-0-85112-235-9 }}</ref>

===Illness and disease===
<!-- To discuss illness and diseases -->
The grey parrot (''Psittacus erithacus'') has been known at times to contract a non-infectious inflammatory lung disease called lipid pneumonia. Lipid pneumonia can be classified as exogenous or endogenous depending on whether or not the animal inhaled outside material.  A necropsy shows that the lungs of a grey parrot with endogenous lipid pneumonia (EnLP) are firm with a diffuse grey discoloration.  EnLP is a common illness in other animals as well.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Costa|first=T |display-authors=etal |title=Endogenous Lipid Pneumonia in an African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus erithacus)|journal=Journal of Comparative Pathology|date=Aug–Oct 2013|volume=149|issue=2–3|pages=381–384|doi=10.1016/j.jcpa.2013.01.008|pmid=23582929}}</ref> The grey parrot is also one of the three parrots that scientists found to commonly suffer from dehydration.  Scientists have used plasma osmolality to find more information about the form of dehydration grey parrots have.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Beaufrere|first=Hugues |display-authors=etal |title=Plasma Osmolality Reference Values in African Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus erithacus), Hispaniolan Amazon Parrots (Amazona ventralis), and Red-fronted Macaws (Ara rubrogenys)|journal=Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery|date=June 2011|volume=25|issue=2|pages=91–96|doi=10.1647/2010-015.1|pmid=21877445|s2cid=33399471 }}</ref> Another disease that the grey parrots get is cardiomyopathy, which is a heart disease usually presented at a young age. The cause is having parents of the same breed. Some other common symptoms in these birds are weakness, coelomic cavity, and retardation.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Juan-Salles|first=c |display-authors=etal |title=Congestive Heart Failure in 6 African Grey Parrots (Psittacus e erithacus)|journal=Veterinary Pathology|date=May 2011|volume=48|issue=3|pages=691–697|doi=10.1177/0300985810377071|pmid=20660943|s2cid=25359919 }}</ref> The grey parrot has been known to contract beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) which causes a highly contagious, and sometimes fatal, psittacine beak and feather disease in parrots.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Julian|first=Laurel|title=Extensive recombination detected among beak and feather disease virus isolates from breeding facilities in Poland|journal=Journal of General Virology |year=2013|volume=94|issue=Pt 5|pages=1086–1095|doi=10.1099/vir.0.050179-0|pmid=23324468|hdl=10566/3381|doi-access=free|hdl-access=free}}</ref> In a PCR-based study, Chlamydiosis, an infectious disease of avians, was found to infect the grey parrot. In the study 253 clinical samples were taken from 27 bird species belonging to seven orders. Thirty-two (12.6%) samples were positive for Chlamydi and two new genotypes were discovered: ''Chlamydophila psittaci'' and ''Chlamydophila abortus''.<ref>{{cite journal|first1 = S. A.|last1=Madani|first2=S. M.|last2=Peighambari|title = PCR-based diagnosis, molecular characterization and detection of atypical strains of avian ''Chlamydia psittaci'' in companion and wild birds|journal=Avian Pathology |date=Feb 2013 |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=38–44 |doi=10.1080/03079457.2012.757288|pmid=23391180|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235421237|access-date=26 October 2015|doi-access=free}}</ref>
Another ailment that grey parrots commonly suffer from is hypocalcemic-induced seizure activity. Birds between 2–15 years of age contract it, due to a lack of calcium. A symptom of the syndrome can be unsteadiness while standing or falling off a perch along with neurological anomalies or problems.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kirchgessner|first1=Megan|first2=Thomas N. |last2=Tully Jr |first3=Javier |last3=Nevarez |first4=David Sanchez-Migallon |last4= Guzman |first5=Mark J. |last5=Acierno|title=Magnesium Therapy in a Hypocalcemic African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus)|journal=Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery|date=March 2012|volume=26|issue=1|pages=17–21|doi=10.1647/2009-021.1|pmid=22645835|s2cid=22315895}}</ref>

===Intelligence===
{{Further|Talking bird}}

{{Blockquote|Birds appear to offer, in their behavior, neurophysiology, and neuroanatomy a striking case of parallel evolution of consciousness. Evidence of near human-like levels of consciousness has been most dramatically observed in African grey parrots.|[[The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness]]<ref name=CDC>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131109230457/http://fcmconference.org/img/CambridgeDeclarationOnConsciousness.pdf The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness (Archive)] 7 July 2012. Written by Philip Low and edited by Jaak Panksepp, Diana Reiss, David Edelman, Bruno Van Swinderen, Philip Low and Christof Koch. University of Cambridge.</ref>}}

Unlike other parrots, wild greys have been documented imitating the calls of several other species.{{Citation needed|date=March 2014}}

[[Irene Pepperberg]]'s research with captive greys, most notably with a bird named [[Alex (parrot)|Alex]], has scientifically demonstrated that they possess the ability to associate simple human words with meanings, and to intelligently apply the abstract concepts of shape, colour, number, zero-sense, etc. According to Pepperberg and other ornithologists, they perform many cognitive tasks at the level of dolphins, chimpanzees, and even human [[toddlers]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7414846.stm |work=BBC News | title=Stray Japan parrot talks way home | date=22 May 2008 | access-date=23 April 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100402002927/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7414846.stm| archive-date= 2 April 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> As well as labeling objects, Alex could verbally express what his wants were, suggesting that grey parrots know the difference between features and feelings.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Kaufman|first=Allison |display-authors=etal |title=Higher-order semantic structures in an African Grey parrot's vocalizations: evidence from the hyperspace analog to language (HAL) model|journal=Animal Cognition|date=September 2013|volume=16|issue=5|pages=789–801/10.1007/s10071–013–0613–3|doi=10.1007/s10071-013-0613-3|pmid=23417559|s2cid=11359605 }}</ref> In general, it has been shown that grey parrots are able to learn relatively quickly, though they are limited to simple and non-abstract mediums of thinking.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Sukova|first=K|title=Abstract concept formation in African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) on the basis of a low number of cues|journal=Behavioural Processes|date=June 2013|volume=96|pages=36–41|doi=10.1016/j.beproc.2013.02.008|pmid=23485821|s2cid=8941010|display-authors=etal}}</ref> They have been shown to be able to make cognitive inferences, but, like apes, have inter-individual differences in intelligence. For example, in one experiment involving food hidden under cups, it was shown that greys can identify where the food is, usually if shown its original location at first.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Mikolasch|first=Sandra|title=African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) use inference by exclusion to find hidden food|journal=Biology Letters|date=Dec 2011|volume=7|issue=6|pages=875–877|doi=10.1098/rsbl.2011.0500|pmid=21697165|display-authors=etal|pmc=3210682}}</ref>

Pet greys may learn to speak within their first year, but many don't say their first word until 12–18 months old.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bono|first=Lisa|title=African Grey Parrots: Myths & Facts|url=http://www.birdchannel.com/sponsors/species-nutrition-information-center/african-grey-myths-truths.aspx|publisher=birdchannel.com|access-date=2014-03-17}}</ref> Timnehs are generally observed to start speaking earlier, some in their late first year.<ref>{{cite book|last=Deter|first=Dianalee|title=The African Grey Parrot Handbook|url=https://archive.org/details/africangreyparro00matt|url-access=registration|year=2000|publisher=Barron's|location=Hauppauge, New York|isbn=978-0-7641-4140-9}}</ref> Both subspecies seem to have the same ability and tendency to produce human speech, but vocal ability and proclivity may range widely among individual birds. Grey parrots tend to use more specific calls for different species coming their way which can be known as stimulus specificity, since there is a stimulus vocalization the birds have.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Giret|first=Nicolas |display-authors=etal |title=Context-related vocalizations in African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus)|journal=Acta Ethologica|date=Apr 2012|volume=15|issue=1|pages=39–46|doi=10.1007/s10211-011-0106-9|s2cid=18208971 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/251311800|access-date=26 October 2015}}</ref>

A study published in 2011, led by Dalila Bovet of [[Paris West University Nanterre La Défense]], demonstrated grey parrots were able to coordinate and collaborate with each other to an extent. They were able to solve problems set by scientists—for example, two birds could pull strings at the same time to obtain food. In another example, one bird stood on a perch to release a food-laden tray, while the other pulled the tray out from the test apparatus. Both would then feed. The birds in question were observed waiting for their partners to perform the necessary actions so their behaviour could be synchronized. The parrots appeared to express individual preferences as to which of the other test birds they would work with.<ref name=gill>{{cite web |last=Gill |first=Victoria |title=Parrots choose to work together |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/12913981 |publisher=BBC Nature News |access-date=19 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520092257/http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/12913981| archive-date=20 May 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In an experiment about local enhancement in grey parrots, food was visibly hidden under two separate cups. The experimenter then lifted the first cup and either removed what was under it or put it back. This was then done again in several different combinations, the cups were lifted in a different order and the food was removed or put back in a different order. Instead of remembering which cup had the food, the birds would show preference to the one that was touched last.
<ref>{{cite journal|last=Mikolasch|first=Sandra|author2=Kotrschal, Schloegl|title=The Influence of Local Enhancement on Choice Performances in African Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus) and Jackdaws (Corvus monedula)|journal=Journal of Comparative Psychology|date=November 2012|volume=126|issue=4|pages=399–406|doi=10.1037/a0028209|pmid=22866773}}</ref>

Another series of experiments further tested grey parrots' cognitive abilities. In general, most animals cannot associate sounds with objects, such as food, placed into a cup. While originally only the great apes and young human children were known to make this association with ease, it was found that grey parrots, under most conditions, can also associate sounds with the presence of an object. For the most part, grey parrots performed more successfully if the cup was shaken horizontally before it is given the choice of selecting which contained food; however, further experimentation indicated that it is not a requirement and proved that grey parrots have very high cognitive abilities.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Schloegl|first=Christian|title=Grey parrots use inferential reasoning based on acoustic cues alone|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B|volume=279|issue=1745|pages=4135–4142|doi=10.1098/rspb.2012.1292|date=22 October 2012|display-authors=etal|pmid=22874753|pmc=3441070}}</ref>

=== Vocalisation ===
Wild grey parrots often whistle, click, or make other sounds. A grey's owner should expect to hear regular renditions of microwave ovens, telephones, alarm clocks, video games, and other electronic sounds, as well as dripping water, wild birds, and any other sound often heard by the parrot. Greys have even been known to repeat the profanity they heard from an owner even after they no longer live with that owner. Greys also have the ability to mimic, and distinguish between, the different voices they hear.  Grey parrots use different alarm calls for different predators coming their way.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Giret|first=Nicolas |display-authors=etal |title=Context-related vocalizations in African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus)|journal=Acta Ethologica|date=April 2012|volume=15|issue=1|pages=39–46|doi=10.1007/s10211-011-0106-9|s2cid=18208971 }}</ref>[[File:Psittacus erithacus making some noise.ogg|left|Shrieking and clicking of the grey parrot]]

In an experiment to test the vocalizations of grey parrots, four bred in captivity were placed in an aviary. Throughout the day they spent time in a room with toys and came into fairly regular contact with the humans taking care of them. The noises that these parrots could hear consisted of the calls of canaries in the laboratory, people cleaning, doors squeaking, etc. In the next 3 years, the parrots made over 50,000 vocalisations. What was interesting was that, although they were bred in captivity, the sounds they made were not only ones of their immediate surroundings. They also made calls similar to those of other captive grey parrots in different locations and even wild grey parrots.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Giret|first=Nicholas |author2=Albert, Nagle |author3=Kreutzer, Bovet|title=Context-related vocalizations in African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus)|journal=Acta Ethologica |date=April 2012|volume=15|issue=1|pages=39–46|doi=10.1007/s10211-011-0106-9|s2cid=18208971 }}</ref>