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Description: The African grey parrot's body is grey with
a delicate white scalloping on the feathers of the head, neck
and chest. The bare skin on the face is white. The tail and tail
coverts are bright red. The tail is square and generally does
not extend past the tips of the primary feathers. Coloration varies
with geographic distribution. Adult African grey parrots have
yellow eyes, black beaks, grey legs and whitish-grey underparts.
Visually sexing is unreliable though some have experimented with
sexing based on feather characteristics, size, and facial features.
Immature birds have a dark grey iris and their tails may be a
darker red.
Similar Species: There is only one species in the genus
Psittacus and three recognized subspecies. The subspecies
P. e. princeps is virtually identical to the nominate race
but is only found on two islands in the Gulf of Guinea. It is
classified as endangered. The more common subspecies is P.
e. timneh which is identified by its dark red tail and yellowish
upper mandible. The timneh grey is found in a few countries in
extreme western equitorial Africa.
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