African Grey Parrot

The most talkative resident of African Rift Valley is Raider, our 18 year-old African grey parrot.  In the wild, birds like Raider can be found in the rainforests of the Congo.  They eat a variety of fruits and nuts. As they digest these items, they disperse the seeds, acting as a "natural farmer," assuring food will continue to be available.

In African Rift Valley, Raider can be seen during the pre-show of the Wings of Africa bird show.  He shows off his climbing and problem solving skills, as well as his ability to mimic sounds and even words…telling us his name, blowing kisses, and expressing his excitement for the bird show with a loud “wow!”

Because African grey parrots have the intelligence of a five year-old child, they constantly need new toys, activities, and challenges to keep them busy and out of trouble.  Recently Raider has become an artist, using his beak to manipulate a paintbrush to create abstract works of art.  He is also learning to identify different colors.  So far, red and orange seem to be his favorites and he’s working on green and blue.

While their ability to mimic has made them popular pets, keep in mind African grey parrots can live up to 70 years, so adopting one is quite a commitment.  If you feel up to the challenge of owning an African grey, make sure your bird is captive bred in the United States and not being taken from the wild where their numbers are declining.     

  

Next time, we’ll meet a pair of burrowing reptiles who are also kept as pets. 

What's All the Chirping?

Written by: Thea Etchells

  

The zoo’s Australia area is located at the top of the main hill across from the Encounter Africa construction zone. In season you’ll find alligators, wallabies, and numerous reptiles and birds here.  Hidden in a building in the corner of this area is an exhibit full of excitement and chatter, or as a professional would say, excitement and chirping. 

Budgie Buddies is home to a colorful array of small birds, commonly known as parakeets. But, in their native home of Australia, they are known as budgerigars or “budgies” for short.  Wild budgies live in small flocks in the scrublands, open woodlands, and grasslands throughout the drier parts of inland Australia. They search these areas for hollow trees or logs to build nests. Nests located near water are definitely prime real estate.

A budgie’s diet consists of seeds from different plants, as well as fruits and vegetables. As opportunistic breeders, budgies respond to rainy weather when the grass seeds become most abundant.  Flock mates show signs of affection by preening and feeding one another. Budgies are naturally green and yellow, but breeders have created a rainbow of blues, whites, and yellows, along with some grays. These birds have become popular pets because of their playful nature, ability to mimic human speech, and their small size.

In Budgie Buddies here at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, guests can get up close and personal to our large flock of budgies, along with their buddies the princess parrots, a rosella parrot, cockatiels, zebra finches (birds also native to Australia), and a variety of different finch species from other continents.  During your visit, you might see the birds taking a bath in the waterfall, chatting with a buddy, popping in and out of a nest box or having a bite of lunch.  Our flocks’ favorite activity however, is snacking on seed sticks held by zoo guests.