# Help me name my African Grey **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 11, 2004, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786 "2004-03-11T22:45:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/1 "2004-03-11T22:45:43Z")
I have bought a beutiful African Grey parrot and now need to give him a name. I am thinking Gandalf, for obvious reasons, but its been done before and I thought you guys might think of something more clever. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/2 "2004-03-11T22:54:57Z")
Is it pining for the, uh, steppe? Or perhaps it saw a picture of fjords in a book and is pining for them? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/3 "2004-03-11T22:55:01Z")
Spalding (Grey)? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/4 "2004-03-12T00:30:02Z")
I would shy from a trendy pop-culture reference. I dunno how old you or your bird is, but there’s a very good chance that with good care, your parrot will outlive you! Imagine having this bird as your loyal friend as you hit middle age and beyond… You might be well-served by a name that recalls the image of a dignified butler, a statesman, a philosopher, writer, artist, musician, poet, literary character… OTOH, Dorothy Parker famously named a bird of hers “Onan… because he spills his seed”. 😃 Some Q’s that can help us help you: what’s the bird’s sex? Will you be breeding him/her? How old is the bird now? Do you plan to teach the bird to “talk,” and if so, what sort of thing? (African Greys are by reputation excellent learners and very vocal.) And congratulations on your new fine-feathered friend! ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/5 "2004-03-12T00:35:41Z")
Shadey Shadow Arthur Bob all fine names ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/6 "2004-03-12T00:40:38Z")
Matey P.C. Suvate (or “PC” for short) Cap’n Ron Mr. Smut (smut meaning a sooty color, in this case) ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/7 "2004-03-12T03:04:29Z")
> [@The Scrivener](#): > > \ > Some Q’s that can help us help you: what’s the bird’s sex? Will you be breeding him/her? How old is the bird now? Do you plan to teach the bird to “talk,” and if so, what sort of thing? (African Greys are by reputation excellent learners and very vocal.) > > And congratulations on your new fine-feathered friend! I refer to him as a he, but he has not been sexed by a professional. He is probably rather young for that, as he has just been weened. Not all birds talk, but I expect he will eventually, but again, is probably rather young. Greys often don’t start talking until they are a year or more. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/8 "2004-03-12T03:23:08Z")
Uh, how does wean a bird from it’s mother? Perhaps you mean ‘fledged.’ ---
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/9 "2004-03-12T03:23:09Z")
You could go the Konrad Lorenz route and call him “Geier” (German for “vulture,” I think.) There’s a story about an African Grey by that name in **King Solomon’s Ring**. I actually named my late, lamented Grey that, but he was usually just called “Bub” (from his habit of saying “What’s the hubbub, bub?”) ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/10 "2004-03-12T03:37:00Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > Uh, how does wean a bird from it’s mother? > > Perhaps you mean ‘fledged.’ LOL. You don’t own birds do you? Weaning is the term they use and rarely are domestic parrots raised by their mothers, but instead are hand-fed by the breeders. Some claim that this helps them bond to humans as well as makes sure that they will get the attention they need. I picked this one out when it was being hand-fed 3 times a day and he was just weaned from hand feeding a week ago. To help you out, here are some on-line articles regarding birds and weaning: [One](http://www.tgpa.com/Weaning.html) [Two](http://petplace.compuserve.com/Articles/artShow.asp?artID=40) [Three](http://www.ckcbirds.co.uk/Buying%20unweaned%20babies.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/11 "2004-03-12T04:04:14Z")
I vowed to name my bird something he could say…(imagine, naming a critter Polly…how do you say Polly when you don’t have any lips?) So, I named him Iian (eee-enn is easy for him to say) And he’s a he until he lays an egg, then he’ll be Ianetta. And don’t worry about teaching him to talk, he’ll get that right allll by himself. Usually the stuff you DON’T want him to learn…because he sees just how excited you are when you say it. He’ll even get the context right. Iian stands at the end of his perch, takes a toy, drops it off the side and yells DAMMIT! when it hits the ground. Just remember, words are sounds, he’ll (unfortunately) pick up smoke alarm noises just as well as ‘Be Good!’. Iian probably has a 250-300 ‘noise’ vocabulary, of which a third is recognisable english. (He’s a 6-7 year old Timneh) ---
**Author:** ![Extraneous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/0ea827/32.png) [@Extraneous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Extraneous)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/12 "2004-03-12T08:59:03Z")
I was once on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco, when someone started up a hammer drill - the noise flushed out the mixed flock of conjures and African Greys which live there - as I turned to watch them, the most prominant sight was Alcatraz - so, you will now call your magnificent bird “Alcatraz” and tell folks he or she was named after an feral African Grey sighted in San Francisco. At the top of the Filbert Street steps, no less. ---
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/13 "2004-03-12T15:25:58Z")
> [@Unintentionally Blank](#): > > Just remember, words are sounds, he’ll (unfortunately) pick up smoke alarm noises just as well as ‘Be Good!’. Iian probably has a 250-300 ‘noise’ vocabulary, of which a third is recognisable english. (He’s a 6-7 year old Timneh) OMG, this is so true. There was a time when I drove a van for work. It had a back-up beep. You can’t imagine how awful a backup beep at parrot volume can be. He would also cough, clear his throat (my mom always told me I cleared my throat a lot, but I didn’t believe her until I heard the parrot do it) and tried to imitate the canary I owned for a while. Amazing animals. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/14 "2004-03-12T17:54:38Z")
> [@Archergal](#): > > OMG, this is so true. There was a time when I drove a van for work. It had a back-up beep. > > You can’t imagine how awful a backup beep at parrot volume can be. > > He would also cough, clear his throat (my mom always told me I cleared my throat a lot, but I didn’t believe her until I heard the parrot do it) and tried to imitate the canary I owned for a while. > > Amazing animals. My parents spent six weeks with us while we learned to cope with the newborn twins, it was pretty funny when, after they’d left, you’d hear: “sann-DRA!” followed by “WHATJOHN?” ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/15 "2004-03-12T19:07:31Z")
Howabout **Osei Tutu** , the 17th century founder of the kingdom of Asante in what is today Ghana. They’re from the area :). - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/16 "2004-03-12T19:59:48Z")
Dorien? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/17 "2004-03-12T23:45:47Z")
General Sani Abacha. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/18 "2004-03-13T00:29:50Z")
Cap’n Flint. But only if you teach him to say “dead men tell no tales”. Everybody who doesn’t get the literary reference, raise your hands. ---
**Author:** ![emekthian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecae2f/32.png) [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/19 "2004-03-13T00:46:23Z")
How 'bout Davis? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Gadfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786/20 "2004-03-13T00:50:16Z")
Dorian and Spalding are the best so far, IMO. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-african-grey/233786.md?page=2)