Here's the African Grey from my updated "Parrots of the World" The African Grey is one of the smartest of parrots and is known for its vocal abilities. Irene Pepperberg's extensive research with captive African Greys, especially the one known as Alex, has shown that these parrots are capable of associating human words with their meanings, at least to some extent. Another African Grey, N'kisi, is said to have a vocabulary of over one thousand words and speaks in sentences. African Greys in the wild mimic creatures found in their surroundings. There is a great deal of scientific debate over the cognitive abilities vs trained abilities of parrots, but one thing is certain; parrots, ravens and jays are the smartest in the bird world. They are found in the wild in West and Central Africa. Rainforests, cultivated land, mangroves, wooded savannas, and gardens are their preferred habitat. African Grey parrots are extremely social birds and thousands will form communal nesting areas. Natural predators of the African Grey parrot include a variety of hawks and falcons. Monkeys and other tree-dwelling mammals often steal the parrot's eggs. As a defensive strategy, a flock of parrots will fall silent and then burst from the treetops while shrieking. The chaos and noise deter most predators. Rendered in firefly with post work.