Bird Guide

ECLECTUS

In the wild they are considered to be noisy, though the owners I have talked to all told me their birds were quiet, except when talking. In the wild they love to screech when they fly, and they are strong fliers.

The eclectus parrot has many unusual characteristics. First and most important is that this parrot is truly sexually dimorphic!

They are a medium sized bird, being around 12 to 15 inches in length. The smallest is the Solomon Island and the largest being the Vosmaeri. Females tend to be heavier than the males. The range for the males is around 388 to 524 gms. For the female the range is around 383-549 gms.

Males are primarily green and females are red and purple. Also, males have an orange to yellow beak (sometimes called a candy corn beak) and the female's beak is black. They are perhaps the only parrot that can show sexual dimorphism as soon as their feathers start to emerge. Their beaks will turn color at around 1 year of age in females to 1 1/2 years or longer in the male. Their beaks are softer than other species of parrots because they are mainly used for eating fruits and snipping off leaves and flowers.

Secondly, their feathers appear different than most other parrot's feathers. In fact, they look more like hair-like than feather-like.

Thirdly, unlike other parrots, they may not form strong bonds. They may not enjoy being touched or cuddled like other species of parrots do. They also may require a diet that is higher in vitamin A and in calcium.

Some words that owners used in describing their eclectus are outgoing, curious, intelligent, playful, shy, cuddly, standoffish, a clown, and loving. Each bird will have their own unique personality.

Eclectus need interaction on a daily basis if they are to thrive. They can be very good with children as long as the child has been taught how to respect and treat a bird. They do not do well in a house where there is constant fighting and bickering. If there is the bird may develop behavior problems such as feather plucking.

They tend to go through a nippy stage which many owners refer to as the terrible twos, but with proper behavior modification this will pass and they will make wonderful pets. This can occur anywhere from 3 months to 7 months old. Some owners reported that around 1-2 years their birds went through a moody period, but when they reached 2-3 years old they had wonderful, loving birds. This may be the case where the bird may not have been properly socialized as a baby. It is very important to handle the bird as much as possible, touching him all over when he is young. This tends to cut down on this problem.

They usually come into maturity at around two years old.

people feel that the males make much better pets than the females do.

The eclectus loves intense colors and needs a colorful, entertaining environment in order to thrive. They may not actively play but instead they may just sit back and observe.

Males seem more mellow than the females, though both are intelligent. Females may be more moody. This will vary however from bird to bird.

Though they are not strong chewers they do enjoy chewing on softer woods. They are capable of talking, some even learn entire songs.

They can also be loud at times, though they are usually not screamers. Those that learn to fly tend to scream the entire time they are flying. They tend to be much louder than those that never learn to fly.

They enjoy bathing, so misting or providing them with a shallow bowl of water is a must.

Eclectus tend to love their food, so make sure that you feed them a healthy diet that consists of lots of healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables and grains.