The lovely Eclectus parrots are attractive and intelligent birds. They are real show stoppers with their beautiful, vibrant coloration! Eclectus parrots make very affectionate pets and enjoy human attention

The Eclectus parrots are vividly colored birds with tight interlocking hair like feathers which produce a sleek glossy plumage that actually looks like silk. They are a large stocky parrot, being 14 to 15 inches in length (35 cm), and have a short square tail and long round tipped wings.

   The male Eclectus is brilliant green on top, has yellowish-green wing coverts, and has red patches on the breast and under the wings. The tail feathers are almost black with yellow tips. The upper beak is a a coral yellow with a yellowish tip and the lower mandible is black. The iris is a dark orange.

   The female Eclectus has a rich red on the head and breast while the back and wing feathers tend to a darker red. The belly and the nape of the neck are a dull purple to a blue and the tail is tipped with orange. Their beak is black. The iris of the female is a yellow color and they have a blue ring around the eye. (All young Eclectus have brown irises.)

   The Eclectus parrot has evolved into at least 10 subspecies, four of which are available in the industry. The females in each subspecies appear quite similar, but the males vary widely in their markings. Differences in the subspecies are specific to the location they came from in the Pacific Islands and include size, head coloration, and brightness of plumage.

Talking ability: Eclectus parrots are generally classified among the top three parrots for talking ability. Rivaling the African Grey and the talking Amazon parrots in clarity of speech and scope of vocabulary, they not only repeat many words and phrases but some learn entire songs. My oldest male sings "You ain't Nuthin' but a Hound Dog" from start to finish! Some Eclectus chicks learn their first word before they are weaned if the hand-feeder repeats a word to them often. Eclectus parrots enjoy repeating interesting sounds as well as words and phrases learned from their human companions. Many Eclectus owners have been fooled by phantom doorbells, running water, and family members talking in absentia. Some males have melodious voices while others sound more masculine, but nearly all Eclectus females have the most charming sweet and seductive voice--full and throaty like that of a "southern belle opera singer." As with all parrot species, there are birds that never learn to say more than "hello".

Longevity: When Eclectus parrots were first imported into the United States, little was known of their nutritional requirements and many people tried to maintain them on an all-seed diet. Until their need for a variety of colorful, fibrous fruits and vegetables was known, many of them did not live for as long as they should have. Although one pamphlet is still distributed stating that the average life expectancy of the Eclectus is eight years, most people now realize that there is no reason that Eclectus parrots cannot live as long as other parrots their size, such as Amazons and African Greys. I personally know of one pair that is still producing at the age of thirty-plus years, so obviously thirty is NOT old age for an Eclectus. Because they have not been in this country for more than a few decades, there are few Eclectus over the age of thirty in captivity in the U. S., but they should be able to live for 50-75 years just as other parrots of comparable size.

Distribution:
   The Eclectus parrots are found in Australia, New Guinea, and the islands of eastern Indonesia.