35 to 42 cm.. length and a weight between 355 and 615 g..

The Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus) It has the head and upper parts of bright green. green wing coverts; curve of the wing and the carpal edge blue; primary coverts dark blue. Feathers of flying with vane very dark blue external, vane internal black on the edge inside. Wing of bright red feathers; bottom of the black flight feathers. Green underparts with flanks and axillary Red. Upper, the Green tail with narrow pale yellow tips, drenched side of blue and yellow-tipped feathers (more external with more blue); undertail, tail black with yellow tips.

Yellow-tipped red Bill, black lower jaw, iris orange, greyish Brown legs.

In all the eclectus sexual differences machos-hembras are so large that at the beginning he qualified them as different species. The female of the Eclectus Parrot it is bright red with a purple ruff across the top of the mantle, with bluish black in flight feathers, purple blue wing feathers, purple diffusion over the chest, dull purple-blue on lower chest and belly, coverts yellowish-tipped red infracaudales, and a tail of red with yellow tips (Feather darker bases). The beak is black and the iris is usually yellow (variable).

The young birds they move directly the adult plumage but they have brown peaks.

• Sound of the Eclectus Parrot.

The Eclectus Parrot It is distributed in a wide range of habitats, from second growth forests, Savannah, mangrove, coconut plantations and eucalyptus Woods, until 1.900 m.

The species is most common in lowland forests, around growing areas and coastal habitats.

The birds are alone, in pairs or in small groups, often composed of only males (presumably during playback).
They sometimes soar above the forest and draw attention with their shrill calls while flying over the canopy, or they perch on an exposed branch.

They are cautious, groups of foraging usually remain in the treetops, Although birds feeding on low-altitude or even on the ground have also been observed.

The Eclectus Parrot they are most active at dawn and at dusk, When traveling to and from their roosts in noisy groups of up to 80 birds.

Have been recorded roosting in Sumba where the Eclectus Parrot they share space with the Sulphur-crested cockatoo.

The species is considered an agricultural pest in some parts of New Guinea.

Breeding can apparently occur at any time of the year in Papua New Guinea, While active nests observed in Australia It was between the months of February and July; There has been during the month November in Buru, During August in Seram, and between June and September in the Solomon Islands.

Up to eight birds have been registered by attending a nest. It is not clear if these are brood helpers., young from a previous litter still attached to the family group, or additional hens females.

In courtship, birds become involved with mutual grooming and Wiggles head.

The nest is a hollow in a tall tree, until 30 metres in height, sometimes exposed; The cavity may have around 6 depth meters.

Putting two eggs are deposited on a bed of wood dust, hatching in about 26 days, and taking ahead 12 weeks to breeding.

The female takes care of the incubation, leaving only the nest twice a day to be fed by the male; Also is fed by the male when the first eggs hatch, but then begins to feed if same.

The diet includes fruits, seeds, flowers, outbreaks, fruits and nectar: they are especially fond of (Pandanus) banana, corn, figs and Papaya.

Sumba in the Small Oriental Sunda Islands, Indonesian and Moluccan Islands including Buru, Seram, Ambon, Haruku, Saparua, the Gorong Islands (apparently introduced), OBI, Damar, Bacan, Halmahera, Mare. Ternate and Morotai, in the West of the papuan islands,including Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool; thence through the lowlands of New Guinea, and Tanimbar Islands, Kai and islas Aru, to the South of the Islands in the Cenderawasih Bay (Numfor, Biak, Yapen, My Num).

In the East, the Eclectus Parrot are distributed among archipelagos of D'Entrecasteaux and the Luisiadas, Papua New Guinea, including Goodenough and Normanby, and in the Trobriand Islands extending through the Bismarck Archipelago including Umboi, New Britain, the Witu Islands, Lolobau, Uatom, Duke of York, New Ireland, New Hanover, Tabar, Lihir, Thong and FeNi, reaching Manus and Rambutyo in the the Admiralty archipelago and Nissan in the South.

The species is also through of the Solomon Islands, including Buka and Bougainville (Papua New Guinea) to the East of San Cristóbal and its satellites.

There is an isolated population in the North of the Cape York Peninsula, Australia, that goes from the Iron range National Park and the pascoe river, to the South of the McIlwraith range, regularly visiting smaller islands in the Torres Strait, in the continental part of New Guinea.

There is an introduced population of the Eclectus Parrot in Koror and some smaller islands in the archipelago of Palau In the pacific, but likely to be occasional escapes from Hawaii, where apparently cannot have been established. This is one of the parrots most common and most familiar throughout much of their range.

The world's population is estimated over of 300.000 birds. Local entrapments in Ambon, Saparua and Haruku It has apparently made the species becoming extinct in these three islands. The distinctive population in Sumba is in danger.

• Current category of the Red List of the UICN: Least concern

• Population trend: Decreasing

The size of the world's population has not been quantified, It is estimated over the 300,000 specimens. The species is described as common to rare.. The population in Sumba It is estimated in 1.900 individuals, although Sumba It represents a very small proportion of the global range of the species (pit et to the. 1997).

The population is suspected to be declining due to the destruction of habitat in course and unsustainable levels of exploitation.

3 the common subspecies in aviculture: Eclectus roratus flushed, Eclectus roratus vosmaeri and Eclectus roratus tortoiseshell; other rare breeds.

Es a curious and intelligent with an acceptable language ability, they learn without difficulty to say words and phrases.

It happens to be fairly quiet and able to live without too much attention. Males can be somewhat distant while in females it must be emphasized the theme that in the case that have nest can not out of it. On the topic food tends to be accepted that the eclectus have a greater need for vitamin A than other parrots.

When considering the purchase of a new Eclectus, it would be wise to obtain a photo and request a consultation with an authority on Eclectus to verify that you are not purchasing a hybrid.

When to acquire housing for our Eclectus Parrot, one should consider your major and arrange them in a cage as large as possible; reasonable steps would be 4,4 m x 1,5 m x 2 m.

We should keep in mind that our parrots should spend at least one hour each day outside the cage during the game.

DIET:

The Eclectus diet consists mainly of vegetables, fruit, legumes and granulated meal. Given that our Eclectus Parrot do not eat many seeds in the nature, and since they are deficient in nutrients, we must consider that their intake should be the exception and not the rule in our house.

The Eclectus they require a diet high in vegetable protein and beta carotene. Their digestive system is longer than most other species., with a greater proventriculus and longer intestines, so fat intake should be limited to avoid fatty tumors. But this does not mean "fat-free.", especially for young people who are very active. It takes some fat to store fat-soluble vitamins A, E and D. It also, with all species, If the cholesterol is too high, the excess accumulates in the liver and, through the bloodstream, travels to the heart where it accumulates; a problem evidenced by fatigue, lack of breed, secondary nutrient deficiency problems (for example, Candida, hypocalcemia, hypoprotenia, etc.), fatty liver, plumage and discoloration-poor quality, bad state of health in general and the inability of the other nutrients to be used correctly.

Too much oil in the diet can cause black feathers on the male and female. They are easily distinguished from the black marks of stress or liver disease because the pattern is different.. Some diets based on pelleted food are high in sugar and can cause kidney problems or hyperactivity. Some are also high in colorants and flavors and can cause toxicity problems. There are some diets which in the market that are organic; But the lack of condoms can cause growth of unwanted yeast and bacteria if left in the cage for more than one hour.

Reproduction Eclectus Parrot:

The reproduction of the Eclectus Parrot It is not difficult as long as we have a compatible partner, Since a female in heat can be aggressive with the male and pursue him while he nears the trough.

Nesting box can have very different ways. The measures are 30 x 30 x 80 cm and inlet of 10 cm.. Diameter. The Z-shaped nest is highly recommended for breeding the Eclectus Parrot Since it allows the male to stay on the top platform in the event that the female is shown aggressive to protect the nest. Inside the box you can put some kind of material, as pine bark.

The incubation period is 28 to 30 days and can breed throughout the year. A sunset happens to another and is not interrupted even during the time of molt. However often the eggs are not fertile or parents do not feed the chicks. It is best to allow them only two released per year, so the nest will have to be removed or the male will have to be separated for a few days. The only drawback, If we choose to separate the male, It is called the female strident so your partner.

The implementation is usually two eggs, and occasionally three.

– Eclectus Parrot, Kalanga, King Parrot, Red-sided Eclectus Parrot, Red-sided Parrot (ingles).
– Grand Éclectus, Éclectus, Grand Eclectus (French).
– Edelpapagei, Salomonen Edelpapagei (German).
– Papagaio-eclectus (Portuguese).
– Loro Ecléctico, Loro Eclectus (español).

– Order: Psittaciformes
– Family: Psittaculidae
– Genus: Eclectus
– Scientific name: Eclectus roratus
– Citation: (Statius Müller, 1776)
– Protonimo: Psittacus roratus

«Eclectic Parrot» (Eclectus roratus)

Sources:

– Sounds: Niels Krabbe (Xeno-canto)