Grey parrots in Westafrika

Trapping for the pet trade and the felling of large nesting trees has had a catastrophic impact on the once widespread Congo grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) in West Africa (Annorbah, Collar, Stuart 2015). Larger populations are now only found from southeastern Nigeria to Central Africa. Since 2016, both grey parrot species (P. erithacus and P. timneh) have been listed in Appendix I of the CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and are therefore under maximum protection. In Europe and North America, there are no more illegal wild-caught birds for sale, but unfortunately the picture is still different in Africa and Asia. A report from 2023 documents the illegal trade in Ghana. The directory with the corresponding photos in videos is available here.