Difference between Gag and Tag

[Ina]

Hi, can anybody inform me what is the difference between a tag and a gag?

[siobha9]

A CAG is a Congo African Grey, it is a larger bird, black beak and bright red tail. A TAG is a Timneh African Grey, it is slightly smaller than a CAG, has a bone coloured beak and a maroon coloured tail.

Speech wise, and personality I dont believe there is much in the difference between the two, they are both highly intelligent and beautiful birds

 

Siobhan

[Animalspirit]

The Congo African Grey Psittacus Erithacus lives mainly in Congo and Ghana, and it is said, that the birds are smaller and darker if they come from the south. Their tail is bright red, and their beak black.

 

The Timneh African Grey Psittacus Erithacus Timneh, a subspecies of the CAG,lives mainly in Tanzania, and is smaller than the CAG. Thr feathers are darker, while the breast and underside are lighter. The tail is wine or dark ruby red, sometimes a little brownish. The upper mandible of the beak is liver/pink colored.

 

There isn't that much difference in behavior between the two species. Both are intelligent and playful, and both have the same contact-calls. It is said, that the TAG in the wild is even more difficult to approach than the CAG, because of his shyness. However, I have seen problem behavior such as plucking and biting in both species. I have seen more manipulative behavior with CAG's, but maybe that's because they are more common as a pet bird.

 

I don't know what the situation in the USA is like, but here in Holland the CAG is more often bred because of its popularity. There are breeders that breed with second-hand birds, which are often given away because of plucking behavior. If one breeds with a plucker, the chance increases that the chicks will have a predisposition for plucking behavior. So, at least here in Holland, there are more plucking CAG's than TAG's.

[Ina]

Hi thanks for all the info, so my Charlie is a Gag.

[Animalspirit]

No, not a Gag, but a Cag! "C A G" stands for "Congo African Grey", Congo is the main country where they originally came from.

[dhorje]

There are only 2, CAG and TAG. Ghana is actually a Congo.