African Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus) - also sometimes referred to as Red-tailed Grey Parrots or simply African Greys - are endemic to the primary and secondary rainforests of West and Central Africa, and some islands located in the Gulf of Guinea
Even though these birds have a wide range, their numbers are declining in most of the 23 African countries they naturally occur - mostly due to habitat destruction and capturing for the pet trade.
These popular avian pets have the reputation for being amongst the most intelligent of all birds. They are in demand because of their human-like ability to mimic speech and generally gentle nature.
The most famous African Grey parrot was called Alex. In 1977, Dr. Irene Pepperberg purchased him from a pet store hoping to disprove that Parrots were just mimics. In the more than 30 years that she worked with him, Alex has shown amazing cognitive abilities, being able to name more than 100 objects, actions and colors. Alex was able to identify certain objects by their particular material. Sadly, Alex died in 2007.