Eclectus Parrots – Sub-species Identification

If you want to know about the Eclectus Parrots and their Sub-species Identification, visit Beauty of birds and get all the related information in one place.

Eclectus Information (Personality, Care, Diet, Subspecies)

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The following information and photos (unless stated otherwise) are copyrighted and have been reproduced with the permission of the owner of the material: Dr. Rob Marshall – an avian vet and bird breeder in Australia, and author of “A Guide to Eclectus Parrots as Pet and Aviary Birds“. 

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In Australia, the most frequently kept Eclectus parrot subspecies are hybrids of the

• New Guinea Red-sided Eclectus (Eclectus roratus polychlorus)
• the Solomon Island Eclectus (Eclectus roratus solomonensis).

In America, the most commonly kept sub-species are the:

• Solomon Island Eclectus (Eclectus roratus solomonensis)
• Grand Eclectus (Eclectus roratus roratus)
• Vosmaer’s Eclectus(Eclectus roratus vosmaeri) and
• Red Sided Eclectus (Eclectus roratus polychloros)

In Europe, the most commonly kept sub-species are:

• Vosmaer’s Eclectus and
• Grand Eclectus

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Identification of the subspecies is challenging in the female and almost impossible in the male without knowledge of the area of origin or domestic breeding history.

Female Identification

Females of the different subspecies may be distinguished from each other by differences in size and color. It is Dr Rob Marshall’s view that identification of Eclectus hens is made easier when the subspecies are divided into three groups:

• Blue (polychlorus)
• Purple (roratus) and
• Red (cornelia / riedeli)

Hen classification of some of the subspecies remains difficult without knowledge of their geographic origins.

Purple Group Grand Eclectus    E.r. roratus Vosmaeri Eclectus    E.r. vosmaeri   Red Group Reideli’s Eclectus    E.r. riedeli Cornelia’s Eclectus    E.r. cornelia

Blue Group Red-sided Eclectus    E.r. polychlores Solomon Island Eclectus    E.r. solomonensis Australian Eclectus    E.r. macgillivrayi Aruensis Eclectus    E.r. aruensis Biaki Eclectus    E.r. biaki

BLUE (POLYCHLORUS) GROUP

Females of the Blue (polychlorus) group have a blue eye ring, blue breast colour and lack yellow in their plumage.

There are five subspecies in the Blue (polychlorus) group:

1. Solomon Island Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus solomonensis)
2. New Guinea Red-sided Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus polychloros)
3. Australian Eclectus Parrot – also known as Queensland Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus macgillivrayi)
4. Aru Island Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus aruensis)
5. Biak Island Eclectus Parrot ( Eclectus roratus biaki)

Some consider Aru Island Eclectus (E.r.aruensis) and Biak Island Eclectus (E.r. biaki) to be variations of the New Guinea Eclectus (E.r. polychlorus).

PURPLE (RORATUS) GROUP

There are two subspecies in the Purple (roratus) group:

1. Grand Eclectus (E.r. roratus)
2. Vosmaer’s Eclectus (E.r. vosmaeri).

These subspecies have no blue eye ring. The different colour purple of the chest feathers readily distinguishes one from the other. E.r. roratus has a purple colored breast and dark maroon colored wings. E.r. vosmaeri is brighter colored than E.r. roratus. The breast is pretty lavender (pale purple) and wings are a fire engine red colour.

RED (CORNELIA / RIEDELI) GROUP

There are two subspecies in the Red group:

1. Tanimbar Island (Reideli) Eclectus (E. r. riedeli)
2. Sumba Island (Cornelia) Eclectus (E.r. cornelia)

Both these subspecies are entirely red. E.r. cornelia is larger but has no yellow on the tail contrary to E. r. riedeli.

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Size Differences Amongst Eclectus Species

Sub-species – starting with the largest species	in cm	in inches
Macgillivray or Australian Eclectus, Eclectus roratus macgillivrayi	37 cm	14.5 in
Cornelia’s Eclectus, Eclectus roratus cornelia	35.50 cm	14 in
Vosmaeri Eclectus, Eclectus roratus vosmaeri	34 – 35 cm	13.4 – 13.8 in
Aru Island Eclectus Parrot or Aruensis Eclectus, Eclectus roratus aruensis	34 – 35 cm	13.4 – 13.8 in
Red-sided Eclectus, Eclectus roratus polychloros	33 – 34 cm	13 – 13.4 in
Solomon Island Eclectus, Eclectus roratus solomonensis	30.5 – 33 cm	12 – 13 in
Biaki Eclectus, Eclectus roratus biaki	31.75 cm	12.5
Grand Eclectus, Eclectus roratus roratus	30.5 cm	12 in
Westermani Eclectus, Eclectus roratus westermani (validity of this sub-species disputed)	29.25 cm	11.5 in
Riedeli’s Eclectus, Eclectus roratus riedeli	29.25 cm	11.5 in

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Eclectus Roratus Female Identification

	Grand	Red-Sided	Solomon Island	Vosmaeri
Size	12 inches / 30.5 cm	13 inches / 33 – 34 cm	12 – 13 inches / 30.5 – 33 cm	13 inches / 34 – 35 cm
Weight (Younger birds generally weigh less than birds that are over 2 years old)	Female: 375 g (Male: 415 g – 433 g)	Females: 380 g – 427g (Male: 376g – 526g)	Female: 390 g – 430g (Male: 350g – 400g)	Female: 366 g -460 g (Male: 398g – 455g)
Blue Eye Ring	Absent	Present	Present	Absent
Breast Color	Light Purple	Royal Blue	Royal Blue	Light Purple
Tail / Tail Tip	Bright red with (yellow-end orange tip	Red	Red	Broad yellow tip
Vent	Red	Red	Red	Yellow (can have some touches of red)

Vosmaeri, and Solomon Island Eclectuses (Shades of Red and Green Eclectus Website)

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Male Identification

Identification of the males from most subspecies remains difficult and relies upon differences in size and shade of green of the plumage. Both size and depth of green however may vary considerably within the same subspecies.

Male Eclectus are difficult to distinguish into species with the exception of macgillivrayi, riedeli and westermani.

• Macgillivrayi is large and long with a distinctive broad square head.
• Riedeli and Westermani are smaller and have distinct features.

Variation between individuals of the same sub-species also creates complication in identification.

Further classification difficulties arise because interbreeding of subspecies has been common in the past. As a result, confusion often arises when attempting to identify the exact sub-species of captive bred Eclectus Parrots.

More Eclectus Information

• Eclectus Information (Personality, Care, Diet)
• Eclectus Species
• Eclectus Sub-species Identification
• Talking Ability (compared to other species)
• Common Diseases / Conditions of the Eclectus Parrot
• Eclectus Foods
• Purchasing an Eclectus Parrot
• Cages / Flights – Recommendations / Set Up Ideas

Eclectus Species

 

The genus Eclectus is composed of nine (possibly ten) subspecies, with differences in size, coloring, and natural range. Want to know more visit Beauty of Birds and access all the information.

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The genus Eclectus is composed of nine (possibly ten) subspecies, with differences in size, coloring and natural range.

Of these subspecies, the following four are the most commonly seen in captivity:

1. Red-sided Eclectus (Eclectus roratus polychloros)
   • Native Range: New Guinea mainland
   • ID: blue eye rings, no yellow tail tips
2. Grand Eclectus (Eclectus roratus roratus)
   • Native Range: Southern Moluccan Islands also known as Maluku Islands, Moluccas or the Spice Islands
3. Solomon Island Eclectus (Eclectus roratus solomonensis)
   • Native Range: Solomon Islands (east of New Guinea)
4. Vosmaeri Eclectus or Vos Eclectus (Eclectus roratus vosmaeri)
   • Native Range: Northern Moluccan Islands
   • ID: No blue eye rings. Yellow tail tips.

Significantly less common and unknown in the United States are the:

1. Biaki or Biak Island Eclectus (Eclectus roratis biaki)
   • Native Range: Biak Islands – northwest of New Guinea
2. Sumba Island Eclectus aka Cornelia’s Eclectus (Eclectus roratus cornelia)
   • Natige Range: Sumba Islands in Indonesia
3. Australian Eclectus Parrot or Macgillivray Eclectus (Eclectus roratus macgillivrayi)
   • Native Range: Australia, specifically the Cape York Penninsula
   • At an average length of 37 cm or 14.5 inches, this is the largest of all Eclectus species
4. Tanimbar Islands Eclectus or Riedeli’s Eclectus (Eclectus roratus riedeli)
   • Native Range: Tanimbar Islands in the Maluku province of Indonesia
   • ID: At an average length of 29.25 cm or 11.5 inches, this is (together with the Westerman’s Eclectus), the smallest of all Eclectus species.
5. New Guinea Red-sided Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus polychloros)
   • Native Range: New Guinea
6. Aru Island Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus aruensis
   • Native Range: Aru Islands (southwest of New Guinea)
   • Larger than the Red-sided Eclectus. The male has red eyes.
7. Westerman’s Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus westermani) – doubtfully valid.
   • ID: At an average length of 29.25 cm or 11.5 inches, this is (together with the Riedeli’s Eclectus) the smallest of all Eclectus species.

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Eclectus Roratus Female Identification

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Sub-Species:

Aru Red Sided Eclectus

Australian Red Sided Eclectus

Biak Red Sided Eclectus

Ceram Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus r. roratus) – Grand Eclectus

Cornelia’s Eclectus Parrots:

Species: Scientific: Eclectus roratus cornelia aka Lorius roratus cornelia … English: Cornelia’s Eclectus Parrot … Dutch: Cornelia’s Edelpapegaai … German: Cornelia Edelpapagei … French: Perroquet eclectus de Cornelia

Distribution: Sumba in the Lesser Sunda Islands

Grand Eclectus

Halmahera Eclectus (Vosmaeri Eclectus)

Queensland Eclectus Parrots or Macgillivray Eclectus

New Guinea Eclectus

Macgillivray Eclectus 

Oceanic Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus infectus) is an extinct parrot species which occurred on Tonga and Vanuatu (possibly on Fiji)

Red-sided Eclectus aka New Guinea Eclectus

Riedel’s Eclectus Parrots:

Species: Scientific: Eclectus roratus riedeli … English: Riedel’s Eclectus Parrot … Dutch: Riedels Edelpapegaai … German: Riedels Edelpapagei … French: Perroquet eclectus de Riedel

Distribution: Tinimbar Islands 

Solomon Island Eclectus aka Solomon Eclectus

Vosmaeri’s Eclectus aka Halmahera Eclectus Parrot

Westerman’s Eclectus Parrots: It is unknown if this is a real subspecies or an aviary bred bird.

Description: The Westerman’s Eclectus hen has a dark smoky abdomen and is smaller than the females of the other sub-species, which feature blue or purple abdomens. Identification of the males in the various subspecies is much more difficult to determine. The usual method being differences in the size of the bird and the shade of green in their plumage.

Species: Scientific: Eclectus roratus westermani … English: Westerman’s Eclectus Parrot … Dutch: Westermans Edelpapegaai … German: Westermans Edelpapagei … French: Perroquet eclectus de Westerman

Distribution: only known by aviary specimens

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Taxonomy and Recommended Websites:

Class:Aves

Order:Psittaciformes

Family:Psittacidae … Subfamily: Psittacinae

Genus: Scientific: Eclectus … English: Eclectus Parrots … Dutch: Edelpapegaaien … German: Edelpapageien … French: Perroquet eclectus … CITES II: Endangered Species

More Eclectus Information

• Eclectus Information (Personality, Care, Diet)
• Eclectus Species
• Eclectus Sub-species Identification
• Talking Ability (compared to other species)
• Common Diseases / Conditions of the Eclectus Parrot
• Eclectus Foods
• Purchasing an Eclectus Parrot
• Cages / Flights – Recommendations / Set Up Ideas