Senegal Parrot      Anyone who owns one of the feisty little Senegals does not even need to know what the other two birds are to tell you that the answer is obvious: the Senegal, of course! The African Greys may be the best talkers in the psittacine world, the Hyacinth Macaws the largest, and the Moluccan Cockatoos the most drop-dead gorgeous, but no bird tops the Senegal for finding its way straight to its owner's heart and making itself number one. And no bird is less shy about letting everyone (the larger, showier birds included) know just where its place is in the pecking order. This small African bird's brash self-confidence is among the traits that have made it one of the fifteen most popular pet birds, according to the 1996-97 Annual Directory Issue of Birds USA.      The Senegal, or Poicephalus senegalus, is a member of the family of African parrots that includes Meyers, Jardines, and Brown Heads. The coloration of most of these species gives them the appearance of being hooded; in the Senegal's case, the color of the hood is gray. The Senegal's back, wing, and short tail feathers are shades of green, and the breast coloring ranges from lemon-yellow to orange. The beaks and ceres are gray, and the feet pink. The description does not do justice to this attractive little bird, however. Senegals are compact and neat in appearance. Their feathers are smooth and glossy, the gray of their hoods is like polished pewter, and the yellow breasts are given a striking, vest-like appearance by a green "v" at the neck. The eyes of an immature Senegal are gray, but with maturity they become yellow. The typical Senegal is eight to nine inches in length, although I have seen a couple of birds as large as ten inches.     Senegals are excellent pets. They are loyal and intelligent, and bond quickly with their owners. They may, in fact, have a slight tendency to bond a little too strongly, if anecdotal evidence is any guide. The Senegal list is full of stories of Senegals who are jealous of their chosen person's spouse or children, or of other family pets. Ultimately, however, it is not really charming to have a bird that bites everyone but its favorite person, and we have really worked with ours to get them to accept other people. Persistence and patience generally work, both in my own experience and that of most other Senegal owners.      Senegals are relatively quiet parrots. They have fair talking ability, although often their voices are so soft that they are easily drowned out. Their natural cries are quiet enough (unless they're really alarmed) that you could have a Senegal in an apartment without any of your neighbors being aware that you had a bird. They are excellent mimics of household noises, especially noises that bring their owners running. It is the Senegal's personality, however, that is its most attractive trait. As all Senegal owners can attest, these little birds have a sense of humor. Our Senagal's favorite trick is to reach over and bite me, very gently, on the tip of the nose, and then do an uncanny imitation of my laugh! They are cuddly birds, and love being tickled. A Senegal can easily become spoiled, and the term "brat-bird" is fairly commonly used by Senegal owners, but the extent to which your bird is spoiled is really up to you. These birds are not the constant attention-hogs that cockatoos are, and a Senegal that gets regular love and attention in the mornings and evenings can stay happy and contented with some well-chosen toys while its owner works all day. They also are relatively neat birds; the mess around our Senegal's cage is trifling compared to that around the other birds' cages.