Mia Bird – African Grey Parrot

Psittacus erithacus

Mia Bird came to us from a rescue group because she had started plucking her feathers out.  She has had a few homes and calls herself Mia Bird…in one of her foster families, there was a little girl named Mia.  She considered herself Mia’s bird.  Mia is very smart – she has memorized our telephone number, can play a toy piano, imitates many many voices and generally has a serene quality about her that is a bit magical.  She reminds us of an educated aristocrat who often does not appreciate the rivalry that sometimes takes place among the other parrots.  Quite simply, squawking about trivial matters is beneath her.

The following information comes from Wikipedia:

The African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus), also known as the Grey Parrot, is a medium-sized parrot found in the primary and secondary rain forest of West and Central Africa. Experts regard it as one of the most intelligent birds. They feed primarily on palm nuts, seeds, fruits, leafy matter, but have been observed eating snails. Their overall gentle nature and their inclination and ability to mimic speech have made them popular pets. This has led many to be captured from the wild and sold into the pet trade. The African Grey Parrot is listed on CITES appendix II, which restricts trade of wild caught species, because wild populations can not sustain trapping for the pet trade. As a pet, they must be entertained or they start to pluck their feathers. Sometimes, as with Mia, this behavior becomes so entrenched that plucking occurs even when the bird is properly stimulated. With good care and diet, the African Grey parrot can live up to 70 years of age in captivity.