The African Grey Parrot Psittacus erithacus has a wide range in the lowland rainforests of tropical Africa, covering 23 countries in all. Two subspecies are currently recognised that may warrant specific status: P. e. erithacus and P. e. timneh, the latter occurring in the western part of its range only, from Guinea-Bissau to western Côte d'Ivoire. Originally the African Grey Grey Parrot was a very common species and, although less numerous today, it still has a large population, estimated by BirdLife to lie somewhere between 680,000 and 13,000,000 individuals (but note that the population of the subspecies timneh is relatively small, estimated at only between 120,000 and 259,000 birds).
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| African Grey Grey Parrot |
The African Grey Grey Parrot is heavily traded owing to its remarkable ability to mimic the human voice: over 359,000 wild caught birds were reported in trade by CITES Parties from 1994 to 2003, with major exporting countries being Cameroon (44% of the reported trade during this period), Democratic Republic of Congo (33%), Congo (9%), Côte d'Ivoire (5%), Liberia, Sierra Leone (both 3%) and Guinea (2%).
Officially recorded numbers in international trade are minimum levels, owing to mortality caused by capture
and pre-export confinement and reported high levels of illegal trade in many range states. For example, premortality estimates across several countries have been estimated at usually around 30-40%, before taking into account mortality on export flights and in quarantine in importing countries.
The African Grey Grey Parrot is reported to be declining across much of its range including Burundi (now very rare and no reported exports), Cameroon, Ghana (much reduced population and no reported exports), Guinea, Guinea- Bissau (mainland populations extirpated and negligible exports), Kenya (no viable population and negligible exports), Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda (very rare and no reported exports), São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda (rare and negligible exports) and parts of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo (15 countries, 65% of range states). Although the species is currently evaluated as “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List by BirdLife International, overall population declines may now be steep enough to warrant at least Near Threatened status.
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| African Grey Grey Parrot |
Trapping for the international wild bird trade has been implicated in the majority of reported declines in range
countries, with habitat loss also having significant impacts in the western and eastern edges of the range.
No range country is known to have a systematic population monitoring system in place to support nondetriment findings and hence quota allocations. This is despite significant trade volumes, reported widespread declines, and concern regarding the effects of international trade on this species since a previous CITES Significant Trade Review in 1988. Preliminary calculations by BirdLife International indicate that the current trade levels for the Grey Parrot are unsustainable, and therefore likely to be causing significant detriment to the species. Sustainable export levels may be only around 10% of current mean annual reported exports, with the majority of range states having potential sustainable harvests too low to be economically exploitable.
Consider a full moratorium on international trade in the Grey Parrot or, at least, significant quota reduction in
Cameroon (the biggest current exporter) with export suspension in Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra
Leone (all major exporters and considered as of “Urgent concern” by the CITES Significant Trade Review in
2006), until scientific research and monitoring can demonstrate sustainable exportable levels. Establish systematic population monitoring and scientifically justified export quotas in all major exporting states, including those listed above and Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo (considered “Possible
concern”), and Equatorial Guinea (also “Possible concern”) where there has been a recent increase in exports.
African Grey Grey Parrot Range countries where the Grey Parrot occurs = Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda.
