Eclectus Parrot

Cute bird Eclectus Parrot

The Eclectus Parrot is a parrot native to the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, northeastern Australia and the Maluku Islands.

It is unusual in the parrot family for its extreme sexual dimorphism; the males of the species are bright green, having bright candy corn coloured upper mandibles and black lower mandibles, and blue or red tail and wing feathers; while the females are red headed and blue to purple breasted, with black beaks. Large populations of this parrot exist in Papua New Guinea.

Electus parrots are strong fliers and on long flights fly high above the forest canopy, calling loudly. Pairs or small parties of them travel widely through the upper canopy in search of fruits, nuts and other food. The favourite fruit of the Eclectus parrot is the pomegranate. In the evening these birds gather in large groups of up to eighty birds for the night.

Latin name:	Eclectus roratus
Order:	Psittaciformes
Family:	Psittacidae
Size:	Up to 20 inches (50 cm)
International names:
Edelpapegaai (Dutch)
Avoparikaija (Finnish)
Edelpapagei (German)
Barwnica (Polish)
Grand Éclectus (Spanish)