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Characteristic Features of Eclectus
Their presence is usually noted by their calls rather than by their brilliant but well-camouflaged colours. 
Although the Eclectus is a beautiful bird both physically and temperamentally, its personality in the past has been misunderstood. This species has been characterised as boring, dull, lethargic, shy and even stupid. What the casual observer is seeing, however, is the Eclectus Parrot's reaction to stress. When confronted with unfamiliar situations or strangers they freeze and wait. In familiar surroundings and with people they know they are garrulous, highly animated, curious, affectionate and playful. All Eclectus subspecies share similar behaviours and personalities but with slight differences, for example Solomon Island and New Guinea Eclectus are more docile than the large domineering Australian Eclectus, and when hand reared are considered to make the best pets. Although the personality of hens is different from cock Eclectus, it is questionable whether hens or cocks make better pets. The hen is more aggressive than the cock. When nesting, hand-reared hens tend to be even more aggressive than aviary-bred hens. Both make equally good pets but hens are more likely to develop hormonally related behavioural. Eclectus have a wide and most unusual range of sounds, including soft bell or gong tones, coos, whistles, comic konks and squeals. Most are very pleasant to the ear. However, they also have the ability to scream or indulge in raucous screeching when frightened, disturbed or excited. Eclectus Parrots also voice words and phrases very clearly. |
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Taxonomy The following ten Eclectus parrot subspecies have been determined. Grand Eclectus (Eclectus roratus roratus) Identification of the subspecies is challenging in the female and almost impossible in the male without knowledge of the area of origin or domestic breeding history.
Female Identification
There are five subspecies in the Blue (polychlorus) group:
Some consider Aru Island Eclectus (E.r.aruensis) and Biak Island Eclectus (E.r. biaki) to be variations of the New Guinea Eclectus (E.r. polychlorus). PURPLE (RORATUS) GROUP These subspecies have no blue eye ring. The different colour purple of the chest feathers readily distinguishes one from the other. E.r. roratus has a purple coloured breast and dark maroon coloured wings. E.r. vosmaeri is brighter coloured than E.r. roratus. The breast is pretty lavender (pale purple) and wings are a fire engine red colour. RED (CORNELIA/RIEDELI) GROUP Both these subspecies are entirely red. E.r. cornelia is larger but has no yellow on the tail contrary to E. r. riedeli.
Male Identification Identification of the males from most subspecies remains difficult and relies upon differences in size and shade of green of the plumage. Both size and depth of green however may vary considerably within the same subspecies. 
Male Eclectus are difficult to distinguish into species with the exception of macgillivrayi, riedeli and westermani. Macgillivrayi is large and long with a distinctive broad square head. Riedeli and Westermani are smaller and have distinct features. Variation between individuals of the same sub-species also creates complication in identification. Further classification difficulties arise because interbreeding of subspecies has been common in the past. As a result, confusion often arises when attempting to identify the exact sub-species of captive bred Eclectus Parrots. In Australia, the most frequently kept Eclectus parrot subspecies are hybrids of the New Guinea Red-sided Eclectus (Eclectus roratus polychlorus) and the Solomon Island Eclectus (Eclectus roratus solomonensis). In America, the most commonly kept sub-species are the Solomon Island (Eclectus roratus solomonensis), Grand (Eclectus roratus roratus), Vosmaer's (Eclectus roratus vosmaeri) and Red Sided (Eclectus roratus polychloros)Eclectus parrots. The large Vosmaer's and Grand Eclectus are most commonly kept eclectus sub-species in Europe. Copyright © 2004 Rob Marshall, All Rights Reserved. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Eclectus Parrot is the most sexually dimorphic of all the parrot species. The contrast between the brilliant emerald green plumage of the cock and the deep red/purple plumage of the hen is so marked that the two birds were, until the early 20th century, considered to be different species. The birds inhabit the nutrient rich canopy of lowland rainforests and remarkably, amongst the shadows, the hen is very difficult to see despite her brilliant colours. From below, the claret and violet colours of the hen high up in the canopy appear black against the bright sky, and of course the green of the cock blends splendidly with the colours of the rainforest.
BLUE (POLYCHLORUS) GROUP