According to Jean Pattison, "When people refer to Ghana, Togo, Cameroon, Congo and Angola Greys, they are referring to the region or country from which these parrots originated. These are their 'street Names' and they refer to 'variations,' not subspecies.

"The Cameroon Greys that most people erroneously refer to in the United States are large silver Greys. However, these Greys actually came from the old Congo, turned Zaire, and now turned back to Congo region. Originally, the Congo exported their birds, and they were the largest and lightest in color, the Congo Grey. The Congo ceased exporting their birds, but during this era, Africa was exporting birds out of Ghana, Togo, Cameroon and other countries. But of course, by this time the term Congo Grey was a permanent "generic " label for any red tail.

Trappers in Africa were trapping birds in Zaire (the old Congo) and smuggling them to Cameroon. Cameroon would then legally export them out of Africa (legal, but NOT legal). So we in the United States received birds from Zaire* (475-600+ grams) with papers saying the birds originated in Cameroon; and on top of that we continued to also receive birds that actually did originate in Cameroon (425-500 grams). Brokers decided to get more money for the larger parrots, thus marketing them as Cameroon Greys (also, they had to since it was illegal to have Zaire/Congo birds), and then they sold the smaller darker birds as the common generic, Congo Grey (any red tail). Are you confused yet? If not, try this... We now have Cameroon Greys that are really Congo in origin, Zaire Greys that were imported out of Togo; therefore, so much for the 'street names'. HOWEVER, after all is said and done, they are ALL one and the same subpecies, the nominate Psittacus erithacus erithacus."

*Note: Importation of wild caught parrots into the Unitied States ceased in 1992 with the enactment of the Wild Bird Conservation Act.

Jean Pattison is the Chairman of the African Parrot Society.