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When were African gray parrots first recorded by Western observers?
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African gray parrot
African gray parrot (Psittacus erithacus).
The first recorded observance of African gray parrots by Westerners occurred in 1402, when France occupied the Canary Islands, where the species had been introduced. Following this, as Portugal’s trade relationship with western Africa expanded, the birds were increasingly captured and kept as pets throughout Europe.1