Eclectus Parrots

Eclectus Parrot

Eclectus roratus


 

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Eclectus Parrots Eclectus parrot male

Unusually for parrots, the male and female Eclectus look totally different, so much so that people used to think (and some still do) that they are different species. Moreover, unusually for birds, the female is more colourful than the male, in her intense red and purple plumage with orange tail compared to his equally intense green (with red and blue underwing patches).
Eclectus parrot young male Eclectus male

Young male Eclectus

Adult male Eclectus - nominate sub-species

Female Eclectus with her intense red, blue and purple plumage . . .

. . . her violet blue eye shadow (on this sub-species - the nominate)

. . . and her orange and yellow tail (depends on sub-species, see below)
Riedel's or Tanimbar Electus male Riedel's or Tanimbar Electus female
Eclectus parrots come from various Pacific islands around New Guinea and Indonesia and from northeast Australia. Above is the Tanimbar Island or Riedel's sub-species of Eclectus. The male has grey-black lines on part of his bill and a yellow tip to his tail.
Other sub-species include the nominate (roratus), Vosmaeri, Cornelia (Sumba Is.), New Guinea Red-sided, Aru Is. Red-sided, Solomon Is and, from the Australian mainland, Macgillivray.		 The female Tanimbar/Riedel's Eclectus also has a yellow tail tip, has dark blue wingtips and a wholly red body without the purple pinafore (nape and front) seen on the nominal Roratus (which has a light red tail tip) and the Vosmaeri sub-species females above. She also has a yellow vent, as does the Vosmaeri (the Roratus female has a red vent). Other sub-species vary in area and plumage details (mainly tail tip, vent, wingtip and body colouring).