Mark & Teri Benjamin have hand-raised captive-bred Congo and Timneh African Greys in our family home since 2014. Every Grey is lab-sexed, avian-vet certified and documented before it leaves us — never wild-caught, always with lifetime breeder support.
The short version
Mark & Teri Benjamin hand-raise every Congo and Timneh in the family home — no warehouse, no middleman.
Every Grey we place hatched here and carries the paperwork listed under How We Document Each Bird — never wild-caught.
Sex is confirmed by a PCR DNA test, not by eye, and the avian-vet health certificate travels with the bird.
Timneh Greys from $1,500 and Congos from $1,700 — no $400 bait listings, ever.
A Grey can outlive its first owner, so our support runs for the bird's whole life.
Our USDA Animal Welfare Act licence is public record; check it before you pay anything.
Birds fly to your nearest major airport in an airline-approved travel crate.
Send an inquiry and hear back from Mark or Teri within one business day.
Mark & Teri Benjamin · Est. 2014
Meet the Breeders
We started raising African Greys in our Midland, Texas home in 2014 — because we could not stand how many were sold sick, undocumented, or shipped from people the buyer would never meet. So our aviary became the opposite: every chick is hand-fed inside our home, never warehoused in a back-room facility.
Every Grey we raise is sexed by a lab, examined by an avian veterinarian, closed-banded and documented before it leaves us — and you hold that paperwork before any money changes hands. A decade on, the principle is unchanged: raise fewer birds, raise them right, and stay reachable long after pickup.
— Mark & Teri Benjamin
Verified Buyer Review
"I searched for African Grey parrots for sale near me for months before finding C.A.Gs. Their birds are truly top-notch! My African Grey is affectionate, intelligent, and already picking up words. The shipping process was seamless, and they included a health guarantee."
This Week's Aviary
Every Congo and Timneh we hand-feed here is lab-sexed, health-screened, documented and fully weaned at 12–16 weeks — these are real birds we are raising right now, including our baby African Greys for sale, with real availability and no waitlist tricks or bait listings. You can see every available African Grey for sale on our dedicated listings page.
Baby Boy Male · 4 mo · Congo African Grey
"Energetic, curious, and impossible to ignore."
Hand-raised male, 4 months old. Thrives in a lively home where there's always something to watch.
Ships nationwide · $185 airport · $350 home
New Arrival Female · 3 mo · Congo African Grey
"She mimics your laugh before you finish it."
Premium hand-raised female, 3 months old. Full social training. Responds to her name already.
Ships nationwide · $185 airport · $350 home
Best Value Female · 1 yr · Congo African Grey
"Gentle, easy, and the bird first-time owners dream of."
Soft temperament, easy to handle. 1-year-old female — personality fully developed, ready to bond.
Ships nationwide · $185 airport · $350 home
Must-Go Pair Pair · 4–6 mo · Congo African Grey
"Two birds, one bond. They go together — and so do you."
Unrelated pair, offered together. Jins (male, 6mo) + Jeni (female, 4mo). Both hand-raised with full social training.
Ships nationwide · $185 airport · $350 home
Timneh Male · 5 mo · Timneh African Grey
"Smaller bird. Bigger personality than you expected."
Hand-raised male Timneh African Grey, 5 months old. Full social training. Ready to go home.
Ships nationwide · $185 airport · $350 home
Timneh Female · 6 mo · Timneh African Grey
"Calm, clever, and ready to come home."
Hand-raised female Timneh African Grey, 6 months old. Full social training. Gentle and sociable.
Ships nationwide · $185 airport · $350 home
No birds match that filter right now — ask about upcoming clutches →
Beyond Single Birds
Whether you incubate your own clutch or want a proven, closed-banded pair for your own aviary, we place both here — with the same paperwork we put behind every hand-fed baby.
Candled, fertility-checked Congo & Timneh eggs — $95 each, free US shipping on 5+.
View fertile eggs →
Every African Grey breeding pair for sale is bonded, closed-banded, and proven (from $3,000) — for serious aviculturists.
View breeding pairs →Congo African Grey · Psittacus erithacus
The Congo is the larger of the two Grey species and the bird most people picture when they think of a parrot that talks. Fact ↗ Alex, the Congo Grey Dr. Irene Pepperberg studied for thirty years, learned more than a hundred English labels and used them in context — that research is where the reputation comes from. Every Congo African Grey we place is a hand-raised African Grey fed from the nest box in our home, and its paperwork is listed under how we document each bird.
Very well, and in a voice that sounds startlingly human. The Congo is the bolder, more broadcast-clear talker of the two Greys — it picks up whole phrases, mimics the microwave and the dog, and learns which words get a reaction. Ours come out of the nest box into our hands in the family home, so the first voice they copy is usually one of ours.
"A Congo Grey doesn't just mimic words — it learns when to use them."Shop Congo Greys →
Fact ↗ The World Parrot Trust species profile describes the Congo exactly as buyers first see it: a dove-grey body with white scalloping, an all-black beak, and a scarlet tail no other parrot carries; adults weigh roughly 400–600 grams and measure about 12–14 inches. Fact ↗ A well-kept Grey lives 40–60 years, which is why we talk every buyer through the commitment before the deposit.
Observed here · since 2014 Temperament is where the Congo earns its reputation as a sensitive bird: the Congos we raise read household mood closely and usually bond hardest with one or two people, so they settle best in calmer, attentive homes. The routine and patience covered in our African Grey care guide is what turns that sensitivity into a decades-long conversation. Pricing reflects that ethical, hand-raised start, and our full African Grey price breakdown shows exactly what each documented bird includes.
Fact ↗ Psittacus erithacus is the formal binomial for the Congo African Grey — order Psittaciformes, family Psittacidae — native to the rainforests of West and Central Africa; the species account covers its wild range and trade status, and our documentation section covers the paperwork that proves every Congo we place hatched here.
Timneh African Grey · Psittacus timneh
Fact ↗ Once treated as a Congo sub-type, the Timneh is now recognized as a full species in its own right. Observed here · since 2014 For many of the families we place birds with, a Timneh African Grey we hand-raise has been the gentler, first-timer-friendly path into the world of Greys.
Because the Timneh forgives more. It is the smaller, darker Grey — maroon tail, horn-colored upper beak — and in our home it has been the steadier of the two: less thrown by a new visitor or a moved cage, quicker to settle, and often the first to try a word. That is why it is the Grey we point first-time owners and busy households toward.
Fact ↗ Often called the "underrated Grey," the Timneh is smaller and darker than the Congo — 275–375 grams against the Congo's 400–600, a charcoal-grey body, a deep maroon tail, and a horn-colored patch on the upper beak. Anyone weighing a Congo African Grey against a Timneh is really choosing between two temperaments, not two levels of intelligence.
Observed here · since 2014 What makes Timnehs special for many families is the steadier temperament: the Timnehs we raise are less reactive to change and frequently begin talking earlier than our Congos — often by four to six months. They are every bit as clever; they simply wear it more calmly. Our recommendation Choose the Timneh if you are a first-time Grey owner or run an active household; pricing sits a step below the Congo, and our full African Grey pricing guide explains why. Like our Congos, every Timneh is hand-raised, sexed, vet-checked and documented.
Fact ↗ Psittacus timneh is the Timneh African Grey's own species name — split from the Congo (Psittacus erithacus) as a distinct full species, recognized by taxonomic authorities such as BirdLife International and the IOC — and native to the western edge of the Greys' range. Fact ↗ Both species share the same treaty protection, and every Timneh we place hatched here, never in the wild.
Compare Variants
We hand-raise both, and neither is "better" — the Congo is the bolder, more headline talker, while the Timneh is calmer and tends to start talking earlier, so the right one comes down to your home and your experience. Below we put our two Greys side by side, so you can see exactly which one we would help you bring home.
| Feature |  Congo African GreyCongo Grey The classic, dramatic talker |  Timneh African GreyTimneh Grey Calmer, earlier to bond |
|---|---|---|
| Species | Psittacus erithacus | Psittacus timneh |
| Size | 12–14 in · 400–600 g | 9–11 in · 275–375 g |
| Tail color | Scarlet red | Maroon / dark crimson |
| Lifespan | 40–60 years | 40–60 years |
| Talking ability | ★★★★★ exceptional | ★★★★☆ excellent, earlier |
| Talking onset | ~12 months | ~4–6 months (earlier) |
| Temperament | Confident, dramatic | Calmer, steadier |
| Best for | Experienced owners | First-time owners |
| Price (ours) | $1,700–$2,500 | $1,500–$1,600 |
| Available now | Roys · Amie · Bery · Jins/Jeni | Elad · Evie |
| Sexed by lab | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Paperwork | ✓ Full set, hatched here | ✓ Full set, hatched here |
Fact ↗ The size, tail and lifespan rows above are species figures from the World Parrot Trust profile; Observed here · since 2014 the talking-onset and temperament rows are what we have seen in our own clutches.
Our full Congo vs Timneh African Grey comparison goes deeper than the table — temperament, talking onset, noise, and which of our two Greys we would match to your home.
Sex, Confirmed by Lab
Observed here · since 2014 In our experience hand-raising both, the sex of an African Grey matters far less than most buyers expect — our full guide to male vs female African Grey parrots walks through all eight differences, but the short version is that a bird's upbringing shapes temperament far more than its sex, and because every Grey we place is sexed by a lab you always know exactly which you are bringing home.
| What buyers ask about | Male African Grey | Female African Grey |
|---|---|---|
| Talking & mimicry | Often a touch more talkative and a bolder mimic | Slightly quieter, but still an excellent talker |
| Temperament | Confident; can be territorial or dominant, especially in breeding season | Typically gentler and more even, though it can be moody at times |
| Bonding style | Outgoing — often bonds with the whole household | May bond closely with one person; can be reserved with strangers |
| Telling them apart | Fact ↗ African Greys are sexually monomorphic — males and females look identical — so PCR-based DNA sexing from a feather or blood sample, not invasive surgical sexing, is the only certain method. It is included with every bird we place. | |
Our recommendation Honestly, the "better" sex is the one whose personality fits your home — a quieter female African Grey may suit a calm apartment, while a bold male African Grey thrives in a busy family. Tell Mark & Teri what you are looking for and they will match you with the right hand-raised bird; you can compare male and female African Greys in full here or ask us which Greys are available now.
Beyond the Two Greys
The African Grey is the parrot most families ask us about — and we point them to our full African Grey comparison hub to weigh it against the other big talkers. Here is how the Grey we raise stacks up.
| Species | Talking ability | Noise level | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| African Grey | Exceptional — context-aware speech | Moderate | Owners wanting a talkative, problem-solving companion |
 Macaw | Good, but fewer words | Very loud | Experienced owners with space and tolerance for volume |
 Cockatoo | Limited speech | Very loud | Cuddle-seekers who can meet high attention needs |
 Amazon | Strong talker & singer | Loud | Owners who want a bold, outgoing personality |
Our recommendation For most buyers choosing their first larger parrot, the African Grey comes out ahead on the two factors that matter most in a real home: how much the bird can genuinely communicate, and how manageable its noise is day to day. Our African Grey vs Macaw and African Grey vs Cockatoo breakdowns show why their volume and attention needs put those two out of reach for many households, while our African Grey vs Amazon comparison weighs the Grey against its closest talking rival. The Grey delivers the talking, the problem-solving, and the bond — at a noise level a typical family can live with.
Observed here · since 2014 Of the big four, the African Grey is the one we would put in an apartment: it whistles, mimics, and chatters far more than it screams, where a macaw or cockatoo can carry a flock call across a city block.
Our recommendation For close neighbours, choose a Timneh African Grey — in our home it has been the quieter, gentler of the two.
Why Families Choose Us
Our paperwork is the first thing we hand a buyer — here, the documents come before the bird, not after. We have hand-reared Congo and Timneh Greys in our family home since 2014 — Mark & Teri — and the reviews from those families below are the proof behind that promise. Before you send anyone a deposit, read how to tell a real breeder from a listing.
Every African Grey we place is hand-reared inside our home, never a commercial warehouse — and every one leaves with the receipts that prove it: a licence number you can look up, the certificate that proves the bird hatched here, its sex and health certificates, a hatch certificate and a closed band. Each is listed, with what it means, under How We Document Each Bird — and it is in your hands before any money moves.
"We hand you the paperwork before the wire — because a real breeder has nothing to hide and everything to prove."Ask About Credentials → →
Fact ↗ Since the African Grey was moved to the treaty's strictest appendix in 2017, wild-caught birds cannot be traded commercially, so the only ethical bird is a documented, aviary-hatched one — and a closed band plus a hatch certificate is how a chick's origin is proven. Conservation groups such as the World Parrot Trust make the same case. Our full breeder story covers how we hand-feed and socialize every clutch.
Pricing reflects that ethical, hand-reared start rather than a bargain-bin shortcut, and our African Grey price breakdown shows exactly what each documented bird includes — from the sex certificate to the avian-vet exam. When a Grey costs far less than that, the savings come out of the bird's health or its paperwork, and usually both.
New clutch alertsSign up for African Grey availability updates and reserve a hand-fed Congo or Timneh chick before we list it publicly.
Verify Before You Pay
Verify us the way you would a contractor: a licence you can look up, an address on a map, a payment you can reverse, and a live look at the bird. Our twelve-red-flag guide takes those checks one at a time, and our page on trusted African Grey parrot breeders introduces the family you would be checking. The red flags below are the short version; the paperwork list under them is what a real bird arrives with.
If a listing trips three or more of these, walk away.
Six documents travel with every Grey we place. Each is named once here, with what it is; every other mention on this page links back to this list.
Reaching out through our contact page before you commit costs nothing and answers every red flag at once: we hand over the licence number for you to check independently, show the bird's paperwork from the list above, and put your specific Grey on a live video call with the day's date in frame. A findable location here in Midland, Texas and a written health guarantee are the baseline, not extras, and our side-by-side look at other African Grey breeders walks through each of those checks.
Our recommendation Pay only by a method you can dispute — a credit card, PayPal Goods and Services, or a bank wire — and run any seller's listing photos through a reverse image search (Google Lens or TinEye) before you reply. A seller whose payment is untraceable and whose camera is conveniently always broken has answered your question for you. The pattern has names — advance-fee and non-delivery fraud — and if money has already gone, report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and the FTC's ReportFraud site.
"Mark and Teri made the process of finding a young African Grey male parrot such a positive experience. From our first conversation to bringing him home, they were helpful, professional, and genuinely caring. He is healthy, friendly, and has an amazing personality. I’m very happy with my experience and would highly recommend Mark and Teri to anyone looking for a well-cared-for African Grey."
The Species, Origin & Intelligence
Fact ↗ The African Grey — also spelled African Gray, and known as the Jaco (or Jako) parrot — is native to the equatorial forest belt of Central and West Africa, a wild range spanning Angola, Cameroon, the Congo Basin, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda; the World Parrot Trust's grey parrot species profile records the wild population as Endangered (Congo) and Vulnerable (Timneh) on the IUCN Red List, even as the Congo Basin remains one of the few regions where researchers still find robust wild flocks. Brown University's historical research on the species ties that decline to illegal international trade, intensive agriculture and deforestation. Both species we hand-rear, the Congo (Psittacus erithacus) and the Timneh (Psittacus timneh), trace to that lineage, and our full African Grey guide covers it in depth — every Grey we raise hatched here, and the paperwork that proves it is listed above.
A thirty-year study by Dr. Irene Pepperberg of a Congo Grey named Alex reset what science believed a bird could think — and it is the reason people still ask us whether a Grey 'understands' what it says. In our home the answer is smaller and more everyday: a bird that asks for a specific nut by name, and sulks when it gets the other one.
Observed here · since 2014 You can hear a small, everyday echo of that intelligence in our own aviary: our Congo Maxy — talking in the video further down this page — is one of the hand-raised Greys we have learning and repeating words right now, the same capacity for a decades-long conversation that every Grey we place carries.
Every Grey we place is examined by an avian veterinarian, screened for PBFD, Polyomavirus and psittacosis (Chlamydia psittaci), and ships with a health certificate dated within 10 days of travel, a 3-day health guarantee in writing, and its sex certificate — the full document list is under How We Document Each Bird. Your bird comes home on the exact diet it is already eating, the same pellet-based plan in our African Grey food guide, and Mark & Teri stay on the phone for lifetime breeder support long after pickup.
See our health guarantee → →Fact ↗ African Greys are specifically prone to hypocalcemia, and calcium in the diet is only useful if the bird can absorb it, which takes UV-B light or vitamin D3. Observed here · since 2014 So we raise our Greys with UV-B lighting and D3 supplementation on a pellet-based diet, and we coach every new owner through that plan in our African Grey pellet food & diet guide before the transition home. Every one of our African Greys for sale comes with a written health guarantee, and getting nutrition right from day one is the foundation of that promise.
Transparent Pricing
African Grey parrot prices at C.A.Gs are never just a number on a chick — the price you see already includes every certificate listed under how we document each bird, because a documented, captive-bred African Grey is the only kind we will ever sell.
| Subspecies | Adult weight | Best fit / lifestyle | Talking ability | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CONGO GREY · BABY | 400–600 g | Bond-from-day-one buyers | Exceptional · hand-raised | $2,300–$2,500 |
| CONGO GREY · ADULT | 400–600 g | Calm, established personality | Pre-developed vocabulary | $1,700 |
| TIMNEH GREY | 275–375 g | First-time owners / active families | Excellent · earlier talker | $1,500–$1,600 |
| CONGO PAIR (Jins + Jeni) | Bonded pair | Two-bird homes | Must go together | $3,500 |
| BREEDING PAIR | Proven · Closed-banded | Established breeders | Fully documented | From $3,000 |
| FERTILE EGG | Candled | Experienced breeders | Buy 5, free US shipping | $95 / egg |
"Anyone listing a Congo African Grey under $1,500 is selling a wild-caught bird, a sick bird, or no bird at all. Real, documented, aviary-hatched Greys reflect the cost of ethical breeding."
What the price includes. Every price is all-inclusive — never just the chick. Each documented Grey ships with:
A $200 deposit reserves your Grey and is applied to your final total; nationwide IATA shipping is arranged separately — $185 airport pickup or $350 home delivery.
Think in decades, not dollars. Fact ↗ A healthy Grey lives 40–60 years, so the purchase is the smallest line item across that lifespan; the diet, cage, and enrichment routine in our African Grey parrot care guide matter far more than the sticker price. If you are comparing routes, African Grey adoption costs vary widely by rescue and waitlist, while our pricing is fixed and fully documented up front. Use the first-year cost calculator below to estimate your real startup cost — a fairly priced documented bird today is always cheaper than a "bargain" that arrives sick or undocumented.
Plan Your Purchase
African Grey parrot pricing is only the starting point — these three tools let you estimate your true first-year cost, run the same paperwork checklist we hand every buyer, and see the shipping estimator that gets your Grey home safely.
Estimated first year
$3,835
Tick what a properly documented African Grey should come with:
0 / 6 verified
How your African Grey gets home from our aviary:
Nationwide IATA Delivery
Buying an African Grey near you rarely means a breeder down the street — so we ship from our West Texas home aviary to all 50 states — our full guide to buying an African Grey with nationwide shipping walks through every option — with your bird traveling in an IATA-compliant carrier alongside an avian-vet health certificate dated within 10 days of departure.
Our African Greys for sale by state and city hub maps every route we run, and we have safely placed Greys across Texas — including Dallas, Houston, and Austin — as well as California, Florida, New York, Colorado, Washington, Georgia, Virginia, Arizona, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. We coordinate every leg of the trip and your African Grey arrives at your nearest major airport calm, hydrated, and ready to meet you.
IATA Shipping Guide →
Receive your African Grey at your nearest major airport — hubs like ATL, DFW, ORD, LAX, or JFK, among 80+ nationwide — via IATA-compliant live-animal cargo on Delta, United, or American.
Prefer door-to-door? We deliver your grey directly to the home address you provide, anywhere in the continental U.S.
Our most hands-on option: a vetted pet flight nanny keeps your African Grey in-cabin — never in the cargo hold — and hands the bird to you in person. Quoted per route, since we cover the chaperone's round-trip airfare.
After Pickup
"The first week isn't about training — it's about trust." That's one of the first things Teri tells every family before their Grey leaves for its new home, and it shapes everything we coach you through in the first month.
Week one — let them settle. Observed here · since 2014 Many first-time owners worry when their African Grey goes quiet for a few days, eating a little less and studying everything from a favorite perch. "Don't panic if your Grey acts like a little detective the first week," Teri explains. "They're incredibly intelligent — before they decide a new home is safe, they want to study everything, and everyone." Keep the cage in a calm, central room, offer the exact diet your Grey is already eating, and let curiosity do the work. One recent family called Teri three days after bringing home their young Congo, worried it wasn't talking, wasn't playing much, and just sat near the cage door — her advice was simply, "Give him time. Sit nearby. Read a book. Let him watch you without pressure."
Weeks two to three — build trust. By the second week that same Congo was stepping up confidently and waiting at the cage door for the family each morning — the arc we see again and again. The bonding and step-up routine in our African Grey parrot care guide turns those first wary days into real trust: keep routines predictable, avoid overwhelming visitors, and start short, positive sessions — a favorite treat through the bars, then from your hand, then step-ups. Greys are sensitive and shut down under pressure, so reward and never punish. This is usually when the first mimicked sounds appear.
Week four and beyond — enrich and engage. Rotate foraging toys, puzzles, and safe novelty to keep that remarkable brain busy, aim for daily out-of-cage time, and book a wellness check with an avian veterinarian to establish care. Keep our number handy — Teri answers diet, behavior, and enrichment questions long after your bird comes home. As she puts it, "You're not just bringing home a pet — you're beginning a friendship that can last decades, and the first 30 days are the foundation for everything that comes after."
Verified Buyers
These reviews come from verified buyers, not anonymous ratings. Every buyer we've worked with started the same way — wary of fake listings, unsure whether the bird would arrive healthy, and wondering if the paperwork would actually be in order when the crate landed. What changed the equation was the packet Teri sends home with every Grey — every certificate listed above plus a written care plan — and the fact that she answers follow-up questions for as long as it takes. The families below weren't sure at first either — like Richard in Winter Haven, Florida, who was hesitant to buy a bird online and now calls his Congo "the star of our family, talking and entertaining us daily."
"Professional and transparent from start to finish."
Finding a healthy and well-socialized female Congo African Grey was important to me, and I'm so glad I chose C.A.Gs. The entire experience was professional, transparent, and reassuring from start to finish. My Congo Grey is beautiful, affectionate, and already showing an amazing personality. I highly recommend C.A.Gs to anyone looking for a quality Congo Grey parrot.
"They made buying a bird online stress-free."
At first I was hesitant about buying a bird online, but C.A.Gs made the process stress-free. They provided detailed care instructions and my parrot arrived in perfect condition. My Congo African Grey is now the star of our family, talking and entertaining us daily.
"Healthy, friendly, and well-trained."
I ordered a Congo African Grey from C.A.Gs and the experience was flawless. My parrot is healthy, friendly, and well-trained. Watching it grow and bond with my family has been an absolute joy. I recommend C.A.Gs to anyone looking for a quality African Grey.
African Grey clutches are rare. Join our waitlist and hear about new Congo and Timneh chicks before they're listed publicly.
Care Guides & Resources
Our African Grey parrot care guide is where every new owner starts, and we send a written diet and enrichment plan home with every Grey so the routine that kept your Grey healthy in our aviary carries straight into yours.
What food, cage size, enrichment, and vet care your Grey needs to thrive.
Read guide →
Pellet-first diet, safe fruits, calcium sources, and toxic foods to avoid.
Read guide →
Morning routines, out-of-cage time, step-up training, and trust-building.
Read guide →
Breeder-authored articles on health, training, documentation, and habitat.
Read guide →Hear Them Talk
That's Maxy, one of our hand-raised Congo African Greys, talking at our home aviary — and our guide to how African Greys learn to talk covers vocabulary, timeline, and what to expect. (YouTube URL coming soon — breeder to supply.)
COMMON QUESTIONS
Yes. African Greys are listed on Appendix I of the treaty, its strictest tier, applied in 2017 to stop commercial trade in wild-caught birds. Every parrot we place hatched here in the USA and comes with its full paperwork — hatch certificate, closed leg-band number, PCR DNA-sexing certificate, avian-vet health certificate and PBFD / Polyomavirus PCR results — each described in the documentation section of this page.
Our Congo African Greys range from $1,700 to $2,500 for individual birds, with the bonded Jins + Jeni pair at $3,500. Timneh African Greys are $1,500–$1,600. Proven breeding pairs run $3,000 to $5,500, and candled fertile eggs are $95 each (buy 5, free US shipping). A $200 deposit reserves your bird.
Yes. We ship IATA-compliant to all 50 states under the IATA Live Animals Regulations (LAR). Your bird travels in an approved live-animal carrier with an avian-vet health certificate dated within 10 days of travel. Choose airport pickup at your nearest major airport for $185, or door-to-door home delivery for $350 — either way your Grey arrives calm, hydrated, and ready to meet you.
Yes. Each Grey's sex is confirmed by a PCR DNA-sexing test, and an avian veterinarian examines the bird before placement, with PBFD and Polyomavirus screening as part of our health protocol. You receive the sex certificate and the health certificate with your bird.
Both are African Greys. The Congo (Psittacus erithacus) is larger (400–600g) with a bright red tail and a famous talking vocabulary. The Timneh (Psittacus timneh) is smaller (275–375g) with a maroon tail, a calmer temperament, and often starts talking earlier — a great fit for first-time owners.
The $200 deposit holds your bird and is applied to the final price. It is refundable any time before the bird ships.
African Greys live 40 to 60 years in captivity, and well-cared-for birds frequently reach the upper end of that range. Bringing one home is a multi-decade commitment — many owners name their Grey in their estate plans. We talk every buyer through that reality before placement, because a bird this intelligent thrives only in a home prepared for the long haul.
Yes — the African Grey is the parrot most often cited for speech. Congo Greys commonly build vocabularies of several hundred words, and the famous Grey named Alex, studied for three decades by Dr. Irene Pepperberg, demonstrated that Greys can use words in context, count, identify colors and shapes, and grasp the concept of zero. Each Grey is an individual, but with daily interaction most of our Greys begin mimicking sounds and words within their first few months home.
A healthy African Grey eats a formulated pellet diet as its base, supplemented with fresh vegetables, leafy greens, and limited fruit. Healthy African Grey treats like a few nuts or a slice of apple work well for training but should stay occasional. Greys are prone to calcium deficiency (hypocalcemia), so calcium support and natural sunlight or full-spectrum light matter. Never feed avocado, chocolate, caffeine, or alcohol — all are toxic to parrots. We send every buyer home with the exact diet their bird is already eating to avoid digestive stress during the transition.
No — a single African Grey bonds deeply with its human family and does not require another bird. What it does require is daily interaction, mental enrichment, and out-of-cage time. A Grey left alone and under-stimulated can develop feather-plucking and other stress behaviors, which is why we match birds to homes that can give them attention, not just space.
It can be, with preparation. Of the two African Grey species, the Timneh tends to be calmer and less prone to nervousness, which makes it a gentler introduction for first-time Grey owners. Either way, we provide lifetime support — Teri stays on the phone with new owners through the settling-in period and well beyond.
For the right owner, the African Grey is one of the most rewarding companion birds in the world — affectionate, endlessly intelligent, and capable of genuine conversation. They are not, however, a low-maintenance pet. A Grey needs daily interaction, mental enrichment, and an owner prepared for a 40–60 year relationship. Families who understand that commitment rarely regret it.
Compared with macaws and cockatoos, African Greys are relatively quiet. They are mimics and whistlers far more than screamers, so the sound of a Grey is usually words, doorbells, and microwave beeps rather than ear-splitting calls. Most families find their noise level very manageable in a normal home.
A Grey can be alone for a normal work day if it has a large cage, foraging toys, and rotated enrichment — but it should not be isolated for long stretches every day. These are highly social birds; chronic loneliness and boredom are the leading causes of feather-plucking. Plan for real daily interaction, not just food and water.
The price reflects ethical captive breeding: months of daily hand-feeding, lab sexing, an avian-vet exam, the treaty paperwork, and a closed band — plus the fact that wild trade is banned, so every lawful bird was hatched in an aviary. A listing far below our $1,500 floor is the clearest sign of a fake listing or a sick, undocumented bird.
Congo African Greys in particular tend to choose a favorite person, but early, consistent handling by the whole household builds a bird that is comfortable with several people. We socialize every chick with multiple handlers from day one specifically to encourage that broader confidence.
Yes. The treaty listing bans commercial trade in wild-caught birds, but aviary-hatched African Greys are legal to own and transfer within the U.S. with proper documentation. Every Grey we place hatched here and is fully documented, so your ownership is on solid legal ground.
A Congo African Grey reaches about 12–14 inches long and 400–600 grams. A Timneh is smaller — roughly 9–11 inches and 275–375 grams. Both need a cage with room to fully spread their wings and climb, plus daily out-of-cage time.
Buy a fully weaned bird — never an unweaned chick. African Greys typically wean between 12 and 16 weeks, and hand-feeding a baby is risky for inexperienced owners. Each Grey we sell is fully weaned, eating on its own, and ready to bond safely with its new family.
Behaviorally, male and female African Greys are very similar; personality is shaped far more by individual temperament and upbringing than by sex. Every Grey we sell is lab-sexed, so you know exactly what you are bringing home. If you have a preference, just tell us in your inquiry.
A real breeder can show a verifiable federal animal-welfare licence, hands over the bird's own origin paperwork, will video-call to show your specific bird on demand, accepts reversible payment (card, PayPal Goods, bank wire), and has a findable physical location. We meet every one of those tests — and you hold the paperwork before any money moves.
Fact ↗ An African Grey lives 40–60 years in captivity, so bringing one of our Greys home is a commitment we walk every buyer through — and if you are torn between the two species, you can compare our Congo and Timneh Greys side by side in the table above before you decide.
We'll be honest: one of our African Greys will outlive your sofa, memorize your ringtone, and judge your life choices from the top of the cage — we say that with love, and a 40–60-year commitment timeline. They are extraordinary companions, but not the right bird for every home — and if you are weighing African Grey adoption against buying from a breeder, our honest take is part of that decision too. Here is the short, unvarnished version, with a link to the full guide. If you have already decided, the Greys we have available now are just above.
There are 14 more factors in the full guide — including the ones most breeders never mention.
Read the Full Pros & Cons Guide →How to Buy
Starting a conversation with us is the only step that has to happen before any money changes hands, and from there reserving a Grey from us — wherever you are deciding where to buy an African Grey near you — follows the same calm, documented four-step path for every family — no pressure, no surprises, just an aviary-hatched bird matched to a home that is ready for it.
Browsing the available birds above is where every family begins — tell us which Congo or Timneh Grey caught your eye and we will send fresh, dated photos of that exact bird and set up a live video call so you can watch it move, eat, and respond before you decide anything.
A $200 deposit holds your chosen Grey and is applied in full to the final price, so it is never an extra cost — and because we never want a family locked into the wrong bird, that deposit stays fully refundable any time before your bird's ship date.
Behind the scenes we assemble the full paper trail every lawful bird must have — the six documents listed under How We Document Each Bird, including an avian-vet health certificate dated within 10 days of travel — all backed by a licence number you can check yourself.
Collecting your African Grey near you is the final step — your bird travels in an IATA-compliant live-animal carrier built to the IATA Live Animals Regulations (LAR). Choose airport pickup ($185) at your nearest major airport, or door-to-door home delivery ($350) — either way your Grey arrives calm, hydrated, and ready to meet the family it is about to spend the coming decades with.
We review every application. Expect a response within 24 hours.
Local Pickup · Free pickup in Midland, TX — call to schedule.
For the privacy and safety of our birds and family, the exact pickup address is confirmed by phone once your inquiry is verified.
Congo and Timneh African Greys, captive-bred in Midland, TX. Every Grey comes with CITES Appendix I paperwork, DNA sexing certificate, avian-vet health cert, and a written health guarantee.
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