African Grey; The BEST Of The Talking Birds

I had always wondered what it would be like to own a talking bird. The idea of a bird talking had fascinated me since childhood. A few years ago I was in Hawaii and saw a huge, beautiful blue Macaw perched on a huge branch outside the airport.

While I waited for my husband to get the suitcases I studied this beautiful creature until a distinct, "aloha" was uttered. I felt as though I were 8 years old again, when I quickly responded, "aloha" right back. I decided that I wanted this sweet bird to take home. Then my husband came over with the suitcases, and before I could say that I wanted this bird, the feathered beast let out a loud scream as it looked at my husband. It twisted its head upside down and threw its wings up in the air as it bobbed its head around. My husband said, "let's get out of here", as we headed toward the car. No talking bird for me!

A short time after we returned from Hawaii a friend of my husband's was moving to Honolulu and gave us his African Grey. We had a large cage with this beautiful parrot ready to learn some words.

I named the bird "Boes" and taught her some operatic songs, and as much as I am in love with dogs and cats, this was one of the funniest animals I have ever owned. The intelligence and cleverness of African Grey's is truly amazing!

She could sing a variety of songs, and would sing them in a loop, over and over. She also added the sound of the sink bubbling, and doors creaking to her repertorie. It is absolutely shocking how many background noises we ignore every day that the birds tune into, and do a fine job of repeating back, over and over, ugh! We were walking all over the house trying to figure out what the water sound was before we realized that she could imitate the sound of water going down the drain. She also discovered that if she made her "telephone ringing" sound, she could get us to come in the house.

She loved the water, and when it rained I would put her cage outside where she could put on her water dance. Hilarious to watch! She stretched her wings and did circles on her perch with joy. When she was happy, it made me feel good. I could have had a terrible day, and when I arrived home to hear Boes trying to impress me with her rendition of "I love You Truly". My spirits were instantly raised, and the chaos of the office was far in the distance. She would have me laughing out loud for 10 minutes.

Its really too bad that one can not control what African Grey's choose to say. This particular parrot was present at someone's wake while living with her previous owner. She would startle my guests often when she would break down in very authentic, emotional crying spells.

The African Grey does not have a voice that most people consider a "bird voice." They are the best, clearest talkers of all parrot's, however, some are better than others. There was noting scratchy about This bird's voice, and she could really carry a tune.

If either you or someone you live with is easily irritated, I would strongly suggest buying a fish instead. These pets are very high demand, needy creatures. They want to hang out with you, and will nag until you place them on your shoulder where they will bite and peck your ears until you put them down where they can tear up your papers, ect. You know what I mean. You must be ready to love bird's and do not make the mistake of thinking that a bird is low maintenance.

These parrots are very personable and love attention. They want to be with their owner all the time, which can be nice and entertaining in times of relaxing. While performing her songs, and games, Boes wanted to be admired, and was eager to learn more. African Grey's have a great personality and are a real fun loving friend. They are the "friend" who you love at the party, but when its time to get business done, they drive you crazy. We all know someone like that.