Timneh African Grey

Timneh African Grey- A Nervous Nellie or
Loving and Loyal Parrot?

African Grey parrots come in two distinct sub-species, the Congo African Grey and the Timneh African Grey. The Timneh African grey is the smaller of the two species which grows to about 10 inches in length.

Both have grey feathers, hence the name, but the Timneh often lacks the vivid scarlet under-feathers on the tail that adorns the Congo and instead often has dark maroon or even tail feathers which makes them slightly less popular.
 

Their beaks are distinctive in adulthood with an orange-ish coloring in the center of the upper mandible with the rest of the beak being black. So are they a Nervous Nellie or a Loving and Loyal Parrot? Both. The Timneh is considered an extremely sensitive bird second only to the Cockatoo. This means that owners absolutely must spend a lot of time and attention with their Timneh. Though unlike the cockatoo, the Timneh African Grey parrot isn’t generally fond of snuggling and petting. This incredible sensitivity to change in their environment and a general fearfulness leads them to be chronic feather pluckers.

Feather plucking can be a real problem for Timneh grey parrot owners and can be avoided with proper attention, training, and a care to provide an optimal environment. Check this out for more information on stopping your timneh's feather plucking or to get information on more Timneh African Grey common problems.

Timneh African Greys are extremely intelligent. They can learn tricks and are excellent mimickers and some are able to understand language in context – you can actually talk with your Timneh and they will understand it.

Of course this level of language skill takes time to learn and not all African Greys will learn to talk. This intelligence also means that if you don’t take the time to train them and teach them the rules of your home, they can become little terrors. Nipping is common. The good news is that they are not particularly noisy birds so you won’t tick off your neighbors.

So where exactly does the Timneh come from? Africa is a huge continent. The Timneh is native to western parts of the moist Upper Guinea forests and bordering savannas of West Africa from Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Southern Mali east to Côte d’Ivoire.

Known for their quite and non-aggressive nature, Timneh’s are extremely social birds that crave a bond with their owners. When this bond is formed, it is usually quite strong and change of ownership or being re-homed will cause an abundance of health and behavior problems with these sensitive creatures.

Because they can live up to 50 years in captivity, acquiring a Timneh shouldn’t be taken lightly. The require a special diet, plenty of attention and training, and their size and intelligence means they will need plenty of space to explore and toys to play with in a comfortable environment. Check this out for more information on a well balanced diet and the right cage size.

Their loyalty and tendency to be easily frightened or stressed out, means that they’re generally not good as a member of a multi bird household. They don’t generally get along with other birds, though exceptions are known to happen. They probably aren’t good companions for homes with many pets and children are better for quieter, less spontaneous environments.

The ideal owner will have an abundance of time to spend with their timneh parrot, including time to train them, play with them, and simply hang out. Timnehs are too smart to just sit in their cage all day.

This is why trick training is absolutely necessary to keep your timnehs mind stimulated constantly.  As an ideal owner you will need to make sure your Timneh’s diet is complete, they get plenty of sleep, and they’re provided an enriched environment – plenty of toys – when you’re away. The Timneh is an ideal companion bird for the right owner.