Congo African Grey Parrot
(Psittacus erithacus)

Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Genus: Psittacus
Species: erithacus

Gestation: Incubation lasts approximately 28 days, may lay up to 4 eggs
Range: a broad area of Central Africa
Longevity: 50-70 years
Weight: 400-650 grams

Conservation status:
African Grey Parrots are not an endangered species, but are threatened by habitat destruction and illegal trade. The Wild Bird Conservation Act in 1992 ceased the legal importation of wild Congo African Grey Parrots to the US and some other countries.

Amazing Facts:
African Grey Parrots have the intellectual capacity of a 5 year old child, but the emotions of a 2 year old. African Greys are the best known parrots for their cognitive and vocal abilities. They are one of the smartest bird species and are also known as one of the best talking/mimicking species.

Sounds:
African Grey Parrots are particularly intelligent birds with the capacity to mimic up to 2,000 sounds.

Behavior:
The natural diet of African Greys consists of fruits, nuts and berries. Captive parrots tend to be fed a diet of dried seeds in standard parrot mixtures. Other things such as oats, safflower or chilies may be included in these mixes. Mineral supplements are also common in parrot diets. When kept as pets, African Grey parrots have been compared to raising a 2 year old child. They require a lot of attention and care. Though they are very curious and intelligent animals, they do not easily trust strangers.

General Description:
Medium grey bird with lighter shades of grey on the body, solid black beak, bright red tail. Similar to the Congo African Grey is the Timneh African Grey Parrot. The only difference between the two species is their physical appearance. The Timneh has a maroon tail, a 'bone' colored upper mandible, and is a smaller bird altogether.

Knoxville Zoo has two African Grey Parrots. Allie is a 12 year old female and Einstein, the star of our Bird Show, is a 19 year old female.

Einstein, Congo African Grey Parrot:
Einstein is an African grey parrot that was hatched in California in 1987. Knoxville Zoo obtained Einstein from a Californian couple in 1992. Since then she has been the star of Knoxville Zoo's Bird Show and a popular "spokesbird" for the zoo.

African grey parrots are one of the smartest bird species and are also known as one of the best talking/mimicking species. Einstein is extremely intelligent, even for an African grey. She has an extensive verbal vocabulary and is able to mimic animals and other sounds. It is believed her vocabulary exceeds 200 words and sounds. Of that, about 80 are on cue.

Einstein has been part of the Bird Show since its beginning in 1992. It is a free-flight, natural behavior show featuring about 14 birds and several other animals. Visitors have fun while learning about the various birds' habitats, adaptations and behaviors. Each bird displays natural behaviors during the show.

Through the years, Einstein has been featured on various television and radio shows all over the world. Her big break came on Animal Planet’s "Pet Star" in August 2004. Her impressive performance generated a buzz that lead to an appearance on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on NBC.

Einstein has been recognized for her outstanding accomplishments. She was voted AnimalPlanet.com’s most popular Pet Star ever by fans visiting their Web site. She was also presented the Tourism Impact Award by the Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation for her work for the city in 2005.

The Bird Show runs April through September, Tuesday through Sunday during the season and on weekends after Labor Day until October.

Star of Knoxville Zoo Bird Show
Click here for the Bird Show schedule

Help feed and care for Einstein

Photos of Einstein
(by Ron Hopper)

Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3
Photo 4

Articles about Einstein

Knoxville Zoo bird show star takes "Yee-haw!" to L.A.- July 5, 2005

Videos of Einstein
Requires Windows Media Player
(Provided by Knoxville News Sentinel)

Video 1
Video 2

View Einstein's Appearance on Animal Planet