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Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus) Alternate name(s): "Red-sided Parrot", "Rocky River Parrot" Size: 42-48 cm (male), 40-45 cm (female); wing span: 50-70 cm Body mass: 480-620 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.70-0.86

Australia: Family Group 12 Family Group 12 Table Palm Cockatoo Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Glossy Black-Cockatoo Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo Short-billed Black-Cockatoo Long-billed Black-Cockatoo Gang-gang Cockatoo Long-billed Corella Western Corella Little Corella Cockatiel Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Pink Cockatoo Galah Rainbow Lorikeet Red-collared Lorikeet Scaly-breasted Lorikeet Purple-crowned Lorikeet Varied Lorikeet Musk Lorikeet Little Lorikeet Eclectus Parrot Red-cheeked Parrot Double-eyed Fig-Parrot Australian King-Parrot Red-winged Parrot Princess Parrot Superb Parrot Regent Parrot Green Rosella Crimson Rosella Western Rosella Eastern Rosella Pale-headed Rosella Northern Rosella Red-capped Parrot Australian Ringneck Red-rumped Parrot Mulga Parrot Golden-shouldered Parrot Hooded Parrot Blue Bonnet Bourke's Parrot Budgerigar Swift Parrot Eastern Ground Parrot Night Parrot Blue-winged Parrot Scarlet-chested Parrot Rock Parrot Turquoise Parrot Elegant Parrot Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Thumbnails page Birds home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Eclectus Parrots are big parrots. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. Male Eclectus Parrots are primarily green, with scarlet side patches and underwings and blue leading edges of the wings and flight feathers. The undertail is brown. They have a bill with an orange upper mandible and a black lower one. Females are scarlet and blue, with a scarlet head, throat, upper chest, vent and leg feathers. The mantle is blue and the upperwings are dark-scarlet with a blueish tint. The lower chest and belly are dark-blue. The wings have a blue leading edge. The tail is a dark scarlet. Females have an entirely black bill. Both sexes have dark-grey legs and feet.

Taxonomy, classification See Eclectus Parrot at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Eclectus Parrot is available HERE . The range of the Eclectus Parrot is limited to a number of islands in far south-eastern Asia, ranging from Timor Leste in the West, via West Papua and Papua to Papua New Guinea and on, eastwards to the Solomon Islands. They are also occasionally found on Cape York peninsula in far-northern Australia. In Australia, Eclectus Parrots, race "polychloros", are found on islands along the Torres Strait towards Papua New Guinea. Race "macgillivrayi" occurs naturally only in a small area along the East coast of Cape York peninsula, QLD, from about Iron Range NP to Yarraden Forest Reserve. Eclectus Parrots are usually found in dense forest, mostly in rainforest.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "macgillivrayi" B. Hensen reports spotting Eclectus Parrots, race "macgillivrayi", at Kutini Payamu (Iron Range) NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, in December 2018. M. Eaton found Eclectus Parrots, race "macgillivrayi", at Kutini Payamu (Iron Range) NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, in June 2024.

Photos

Race "macgillivrayi"

ADULT

PAIR

Pair of Eclectus Parrots taken in captivity; male on the left, female on the right (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)

MALE

Distant lateral view of a male Eclectus Parrot in flight (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Kutini Payamu (Iron Range) NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, December 2018]

Frontal view of a male Eclectus Parrot taken in captivity (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)

Near-frontal view of a male Eclectus Parrot taken in captivity (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)

Lateral view of a male Eclectus Parrot taken in captivity (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)

Near-dorsal view of a male Eclectus Parrot taken in captivity (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)

Near-dorsal view of a male Eclectus Parrot taken in captivity (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)

FEMALE

Near-lateral/ventral view of a female Eclectus Parrot (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Kutini Payamu (Iron Range) NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, December 2018]

Lateral portrait of a female Eclectus Parrot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kutini Payamu (Iron Range) NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, June 2024]

Lateral/ventral view of a female Eclectus Parrot (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Kutini Payamu (Iron Range) NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, December 2018]

Frontal view of a female Eclectus Parrot; photo taken with friendly permission of its owners

Lateral view of a female Eclectus Parrot; photo taken with friendly permission of its owners

Dorsal view of a female Eclectus Parrot; photo taken with friendly permission of its owners

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Juvenile male Eclectus Parrot at 16 weeks of age (photo courtesy of D. Madden)

Breeding information

Breeding season: Jul - Jan

Eggs: 2

Incubation period: 26 days

Fledging age: ca. 15 days

Nest building: ?

Incubation: Female

Dependent care: Female

As many other parrot species, the male Eclectus Parrot feeds the female while incubating and brooding the chicks. Eclectus Parrots are often assisted by birds from earlier broods.

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Tree hollow

Material: Lining?

Height above ground: 10 - 30 m

Frontal view of a female Eclectus Parrot peeking out of its nesting hollow (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Kutini Payamu (Iron Range) NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, December 2018]

Lateral view of a female Eclectus Parrot leaving its nesting hollow (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Kutini Payamu (Iron Range) NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, December 2018]

Entrance to an Eclectus Parrot nest hollow (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kutini Payamu (Iron Range) NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, June 2024]

Female Eclectus Parrot in captivity at the opening of its nesting hollow (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)

In captivity, in the absence of external threats, female Eclectus Parrots will nest - and produce offspring - in ground hollows (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 42 x 33 mm

Colour: White

Shape: Rounded

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

Primarily female Eclectus Parrots are territorial, especially around their nest sites, while males (who feed the nesting females) can at times be seen foraging and feeding together.

Food, Diet

Eclectus Parrots are fruit-eaters.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

eclect_me_20240613_4.m4a	(Far-N QLD)	Contact call?	© ME
eclect_me_20240614.m4a	(Far-N QLD)	Contact calls?	© ME
eclect_me_20240613_3.m4a	(Far-N QLD)	Contact calls? (Mob in flight)	© ME
eclect_me_20240614_3.m4a	(Far-N QLD)	Alarm calls? (Q&A)	© ME
eclect_me_20240613_2.m4a	(Far-N QLD)	Various (+ Emerald Dove, Wompoo Fruit-Dove)	© ME
eclect_me_20240613_5.m4a	(Far-N QLD)	?	© ME
eclect_me_20240614_2.m4a	(Far-N QLD)	?	© ME
eclect_me_20240613.m4a	(Far-N QLD)	?	© ME

More Eclectus Parrot sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.