In the wild, African grey parrots live in large flocks and are very noisy and social. They roost together in huge numbers in the treetops at night. During the day they fly through the forest in pairs or small groups, eating fruits, nuts and seeds. They are experts at using their strong curved beak to open tough nuts.
One of their most remarkable abilities is mimicking sounds - not just human speech, but also other birds' calls, creaking branches, rain falling and even mobile phone ringtones if they hear them often enough! Scientists think this mimicking ability is linked to how clever they are at learning from their environment.
Research studies have shown that some African grey parrots can identify objects by name, count up to six and even ask questions. A famous parrot called Alex, studied for decades by scientist Irene Pepperberg, demonstrated that these birds understand concepts rather than just repeating sounds. The forests of the Republic of the Congo are a stronghold for wild African grey parrot populations.