Eclectus Parrot
The first thing you will notice is
that they are very sexually dimorphic. The male and female Eclectus are so
different looking that they were originally thought to be two different
species.
The male Eclectus are bright green
with a yellow-orange beak while the female Eclectus are red and purple with a
black beak. As soon as their feathers come in, you can tell whether the bird is
male or female.
Their feathers also appear to be
more hair-like rather than feather-like and they require more vitamin A and
calcium in their diet than most other parrots. The specialized diet alone means
they do require more experienced owners. They also don't form strong bonds like
other parrots, but this in no way means that they don't make good pets.
Eclectus are only a little cuddly,
but they are great companions and love to sit on a perch near you or on your
hand. They are not great talkers, but they can learn a few words and phrases
and even whole songs. What they love is imitating sounds--like a telephone,
alarm, or microwave.
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Fast Facts
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Name
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Eclectus (Eclectus
roratus)
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Origin
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Indonesia, New
Guinea, northern Australia
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Size
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14" (35 cm)
and 370-525 grams (13-19 oz)
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Color
Differences
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Male Eclectus
are bright green with a yellow-orange beak while the female Eclectus are red
and purple with a black beak.
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Average Cost
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$600-1200
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Lifespan
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30-50 years
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Noise
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Eclectus parrots
can be loud, though they are not known to be screamers. They are best fit in
a house.
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Qualities
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Some subpecies
qualities are different from others (see above), don't form strong bonds like
other parrots do, good with children that know how to respect a bird, not
good for a house with a lot of commotion, outgoing, curious, a little cuddly,
love to perch near you and sit on your hand, entertaining, loving,
intelligent, can be shy and standoffish, playful, very active, prone to
feather plucking, sensitive to noise, males tend to be mellow and shy while
females tend to be outgoing and a bit moody, most go through a nippy stage.
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Abilities
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Good - Capable
of talking, can learn whole songs, love to imitate sounds, not great training
ability.
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Interaction/Time
Requirements
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Eclectus
parrots need interaction on a daily basis
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Diet
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They need a diet for large birds and
need more vitamin A and calcium than most other parrots do. Make sure not to
feed them too many foods heavy in iron--Eclectus have problems with iron
storage.
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Supplies
Needed
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They need supplies for
large birds.
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