Eclectus parrots are among one of the most popular parrot species that are kept as pets today. They are one of the quietest of pet parrots. You would never guess, but they are also considered one of the best talkers as well.
Physical Appearance of Eclectus Parrots
Eclectus parrots are very beautifully colored. Their feathers are glossy and silk-like. The Eclectus parrot has a very stocky body, especially when compared to other parrots. They are usually about fifteen inches tall, with a square tail, and long, rounded wings.
Sexing Eclectus Parrots
Sexing Eclectus parrots is quite easy. You can tell males and females apart from their colors.
The male is usually green on the top. His wings are a different shade of green. He generally has red patches on his breast and under his wings. Some of the feathers on his tail and wings are typically blue or red. The upper beak of the male is orange and the lower beak is black.
The female Eclectus parrot, on the other, is the star. She has a red head and red breast. The feathers on her back and her wings are usually a deeper shade of red. Her belly ranges in colors from blue to purple. Her tail is tipped with an orange color. Her beak is black. Quite stunning!
Sidebar: The Eclectus parrot is know for its sexual dimorphism – that means that the male and female Eclectus parrots look very different from each other.
Where Do Eclectus Parrots Come From?
Eclectus parrots are from the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, Australia, and the Maluku Islands.
Although these birds are so beautiful, in Papua New Guinea they are considered to be a pest. This is because there is such a large number of them and they eat the fruit off the trees. Because of this, they are often killed and destroyed.
In other areas of the world, they are commonly kept and loved as pets because they are really social birds.
Different Types of Eclectus Parrots
There are six different species of the Eclectus parrot. These different species are distinguished by their color, size, and habitat. The red sided Vosmaeri, and the Solomon Eclectus parrots are the two most common species.
Talking Ability
The Eclectus parrot is one of very few species of parrots that are known to be talkers. Their speech is very clear, and they are quite capable of learning a rather large vocabulary. Your Eclectus parrot will happily repeat a variety of words and phrases. They can even learn how to sing.
It is not uncommon for an Eclectus parrot to learn its first words before it is even fully weaned. This is especially true if they are hand raised. They are excellent at doing sound effects, especially if they find the sound really interesting. They make sounds like door bells, running water, the telephone, and numerous other sounds.
The males have a distinctly different sounding voice than the female. The female sounds really feminine, while the male has a masculine sounding voice.
The ability to speak will depend on how much the owner works with the parrot. You should practice with your Eclectus, repeating words and phrases.
Their ability to speak is one of the reasons why so many birds lovers choose to get an Eclectus parrot. Just remember that there is so much more to this wonderful bird than just their ability to speak.