How to identify eclectus parrot subspecies? PART I

May 6th, 2016 | by Rudy Caccia

Taxonomy

The Eclectus parrot provides us without doubt one of the most interesting of all parrot species . Not only do they have hair-like plumage around the neck and abdomen, but visually they are also sexually dimorphic. In fact, they were so different that when the Eclectus was discovered in the 1700’s, the two sexes were thought to be different species.

There are nine subspecies with some distinct regional diversities in colour and size.

To appreciate the evolution of the Eclectus species you need to consider the close proximities of island habitats within Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands as these have a distinct bearing on physical characteristics of the subspecies, such as colour and size. Natural cross-over of subspecies does occur. For example, the Grand Eclectus subspecie from the Ambon and Buru Islands is quite different in size and colour to the Grand Eclectus found on the island of Seram – this is because Seram Island is just south of Halmahera Island where the Vosmaeri subspecies is found. As a result, the colour of Grand Eclectus found on the island of Seram appears to be a “mix” of the Ambon/Buru Grands and the Vosmaeri subspecies and can be mistaken as Vosmaeri.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Eclectus_roratus-20030511.jpg

Eclectus parrot is one of the most beautiful parrot species. (c) Doug Janson. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Another example is the Solomon Island Eclectus. The Solomon Islands population closest to Papua New Guinea is larger in size compared to the population further east. Mature cock birds from the population further east also have a blood red iris colour. I use these as current day examples as in due course the subspecies list may well include newly identified subspecies.

Note that the Eclectus can be a very difficult bird to identify in terms of subspecies. To the untrained eye, the nine subspecies cock birds look almost identical, however, to the trained eye they typically differ in size, body shape, colour (shade of green), amount of colour in the tail tip, iris colour and tail feather length. These is explained in detail within the subspecies description section below. Part of the ever growing issue of crossbreeding Eclectus in aviculture is due to the incorrect identification of the cock bird subspecies. Whether you are a back yard parrot enthusiast, a pet owner that seeks a second bird to set up a breeding pair, or experienced aviculturist, it is of utmost importance that the necessary steps are taken to prevent crossbreeding. Unfortunately unintended crossbreeding was prevalent in the early days of importation. There are, however, purist aviculturists that keep stud records of the pure subspecies that they maintain. We need more purist breeders.

The hens are much easier to identify in terms of subspecies as they have a broader spectrum of plumage colours. For example, the Vosmaeri Tanimbar Island and Sumba Island hens are quite unique in colour and can be identified easily.

One thing I have learnt is that the key to setting up a pure subspecie pair is in the hens. If you are interested in, for instance, the Vosmaeri subspecie and you are confident in identifying a pure Vosmaeri then you should witness the hen progeny of a pair to be confident in obtaining a cock bird from that pair. Most Eclectus fanciers assume that what is offered for sale is pure bred but this is often not the case, depending on from whom you buy and the location (country) of origin.

You should always look at the hen produced from a pair, analyse it when mature and then place an order for a sibling cock bird if the sister hen is pure. In my opinion, this is the best way to obtain a pure subspecies cock bird, and the proper start to make up a pure pair. This method is unfortunately only for people with time and patience. An important point to remember is that the key to cock bird purity lies in the visual study of the sister hens produced.

Map of Eclectus parrot distrubution (c) Rudy Caccia

Subspecies covered in this article:

1)Vosmaeri Eclectus (Eclectus roratus vosmaeri)

2)Grand Eclectus (Eclectus roratus roratus)

3)Sumba Island Eclectus (Eclectus roratus cornelia)

4)Tanimbar Island Eclectus (Eclectus roratus riedeli)

5)Aru Island Eclectus (Eclectus roratus aruensis )

6)Biak Island Eclectus (Eclectus roratus biaki)

7)New Guinea Red-Sided Eclectus (Eclectus roratus polychlorus)

8)Solomon Island Eclectus (Eclectus roratus solomensis)

9)Australian Eclectus (Eclectus roratus macgillivrayi)

Vosmaeri Eclectus (Eclectus roratus vosmaeri)

Arguably the most popular and strikingly attractive Eclectus subspecie, the Vosmaeri,is found in the central to northern Malukus Islands of Halmahera, Obi, Bacan and Sula. The body shape of a Vosmaeri can be long and slender but also short and stocky depending on which area it is from. Body weight as a guide should be between 420gm – 540gm. Average tail feather length is 165mm

The cock birds have a very light grass green body colour. On certain angles the wings look to be fluorescent with a yellow tinge. From the front view as the bird perches, you can clearly view the red oval patches along the sides of the abdomen and wing bend. The tail from underneath is jet black with a lemon coloured tail tip. It is important that the tail tip is this lemon colour and not bright yellow. Tail feathers measure on average 165mm. The tail from the rear view should be heavily suffused in dark royal blue with just the tip 6mm in a light yellow. The head shape is flat on top with a rather small upper mandible compared to body size. When mature, the top half of the upper mandible should be deep orange to red. The iris colour should be straw yellow to amber when the bird reaches maturity at 3 years of age.

Eclectus roratus vosmaeri male (c) Rudy Caccia

Eclectus roratus vosmaeri male (c) Rudy Caccia

Eclectus roratus vosmaeri male (c) Rudy Caccia

The Vosmaeri hen is a sight to behold. Lavender toffee apple and cadmium yellow are the three primary colours. You only need one angle to positively analyse the purity of a Vosmaeri hen and that is the full frontal body view of the bird on the perch viewed from underneath to have a visual of the under tail coverts.

The lavender travels from the cloaca all the way up the abdomen and neck until it fuses with the bright red head colouration. In some cases the lavender can travel all the way up the back of the head. There should be NO distinct separation line between the red of the head and lavender of the breast. In other words, if there is a bib line evident you can be certain of it being a crossbred bird.

The vent of a Vosmaeri hen should be bright cadmium yellow. This particular part of the bird is quite important in terms of subspecies purity. Between the lavender at the cloaca that travels up towards the neck of the bird and the triangular yellow under tail coverts there is a dividing line of red feathering that also covers the legs. If that red feathering bleeds into the yellow under tail coverts it can indicate a cross bred bird. In other words, the smaller the yellow triangular vent the wider the red deciding line between the lavender and under tail coverts. So red suffusion in the vent area places a question mark over purity. The tail tip should also have at least an inch (25mm) of bright cadmium yellow. A good sign is when the yellow runs up the inner feather edge towards the vent. The upper wing colour should be a rich toffee apple red and the iris colour amber when mature.