The African Grey parrot is one intelligent bird popularly known by people on planet earth. So intelligent it is, that it has its own distinct personality and is an excellent talker too. The bird is endowed with a vocabulary of over 200 words, with a minimum of at least 100. Scientists discovered that the African Grey is intelligent enough to not only mimic people’s voices but also comprehend human language as well as communicate human needs and feelings, in addition to many other wonderful things.
While all types of African grey parrots look similar, there are two distinct types and a couple of lesser-known subspecies of this beloved bird. The most popular and common is the Congo African grey.
The Congo African grey is the largest of the African grey parrots, sporting a lighter gray color in its plumage, and a solid black beak. The second most common type is the Timneh African grey, which was recognized as a species in 2012. The Timneh African grey is slightly smaller than the Congo, and its feathers are darker in color. Another defining characteristic of the Timneh grey is that it has a horn-colored upper mandible instead of a black one. Despite their differences, both of these types of African grey parrots make excellent pets, and both are equally intelligent.