Timneh african grey parrot
Timneh african grey parrot , also known as the Timneh grey parrot or Timneh African grey parrot, is a West African parrot. Formerly classifie as a subspecies of the grey parrot Psittacus erithacus timneh, it is now consider a full species Psittacus timneh. In aviculture, it is often referr to by the initials TAG and is commonly kept as a companion parrot.
Taxonomy
The Timneh parrot was formally describe in 1844 by the British zoologist and collector Louis Fraser. He coin the binomial name Psittacus timneh and specif the type locality as “Timneh country, Sierra Leone”. The Temne are an ethnic group that are predominantly in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone.The Timneh parrot was formerly classif as a subspecies of the grey parrot but is now treat as a separate species base on the results of a genetic and morphological study publish in 2007
Description
Growing to 28–33 centimetres (11–13 in) in length and weighing 275–375 grams (9.7–13.2 oz),[6] the Timneh is a medium-sized parrot. Its plumage is mainly a mottled grey, with a white face mask and pale yellow eyes. Compared with the only other recognised Psittacus species, the grey parrot (P. erithacus), the Timneh is smaller and darker, with a dull, dark maroon (rather than crimson) tail and a horn-coloured patch on the upper mandible. Like the grey parrot, the Timneh parrot is intelligent and a skilled mimic.] The Timneh parrot may be less nervous and more outgoing around human beings, and can learn to at a younger age than the grey parrot.
Distribution and habitat
The Timneh parrot is endemic to the western parts of the moist Upper Guinean forests and bordering savannas of West Africa from Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and southern Mali eastwards to at least 70 km east of the Bandama River in Ivory Coast. There is no natural range overlap with the grey parrot although, as both taxa are common in aviculture, escapes can occur and hybridization between greys and Timnehs has been observe in captivity. The birds typically inhabit dense forest, but is also see at forest edges and in clearings, in gallery forest along waterways, savanna woodland and mangroves. Though they is sometimes in cultivate areas and gardens, it is not clear whether these habitats contain self-sustaining populations; the birds may make seasonal movements out of the driest parts of their range in the dry season.
Status, threats and conservation
The Timneh parrot has been undergoing population decline both through the loss of its forest habitat and trapping for the international wild bird trade. The fragmentation and loss of forests, as well as climatic changes, has become a major factor in the food availability for parrots. The species ability to track food (such as plants and plant parts including fruits, seeds, flowers, leaf buds, and sap) and switch diets determines the species ability to cope with environmental changes; it is a contributory factor to the population decline of the Timneh parrot.[10] Along with the closely related Congo grey parrot, it is one of the most popular pet birds in the United States, Europe and the Middle East due to its longevity and ability to mimic human speech.