bird of the day: eclectus parrot

the eclectus parrot is a medium-sized parrot species native to australia, new guinea and the solomon islands.

the most well-known attribute of the eclectus parrot is their pronounced sexual dimorphism. their sex-differentiated plumage is very unusual for birds – typically, males have more vibrant plumage and females have dull plumage. however, eclectus females are bright red with a violet-blue underside, and males are mainly green. at one time, they were thought to be two seperate species – part of the reason why there were very few in captivity for a long time, as there was no breeding program that even had the potential to be successful.

another unusual attribute of eclectus parrots is that they are polygyandrous – both males and females may mate with multiple others during the breeding season, a trait that is very strange for typically monogamous parrots. eclectus parrots build their nests in tree hollows. it’s theorized the bright red of the female eclectus developed so others would see her and not enter the nesting cavity.

eclectus parrots feed mainly off of fruits and berries. seeds are a supplemental part of the diet. eclectus have been known to suffer from nutritional deficiencies in captivity, as they require lots of fresh foods in their diet.

the eclectus parrot is currently rated least concern by the iucn, despite past trapping for the pet trade.

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