Eclectus Parrot
Eclectus Parrot (male), Adelaide Zoo
Australia has many beautiful parrots. One of the more intriguing – and beautiful – would have to be the Eclectus Parrot, shown in the photos on this post. This is a species I have yet to see in the natural environment which is not surprising seeing it is found in remote locations in far north Queensland, a state I am yet to visit.
The beautiful plumage on this large parrot is interesting because the male (shown above) is not as outstanding as the female (see below). This is unusual in the bird kingdom because most male birds are more colourful than females, but only where there is dimorphism. This means that the male and female plumage is different. Of course, many species display no dimorphism; male and female are identical.
Forget about the scientific explanations: I think the male looks rather neat in green. They both look stunning with such pure and startling colours.
I must attempt to get to northern Queensland soon as see them “at home.”
Further reading:
- Parrots -more articles from the archives of this site
- Eclectus Parrots at Adelaide Zoo
Eclectus Parrot (male), Adelaide Zoo
Eclectus Parrot (male), Adelaide Zoo
Eclectus Parrot (female) Adelaide Zoo
Wow! What amazing birds! I wish we had parrots over here. I really enjoy seeing the different species you feature. Thanks!
Thank you for your kind words, Susan. I enjoy writing about the beautiful birds who share their wonderful country with us.
Nice article 🙂
The pictures do look like they’re red sided ecelctus, which are not native to Australia. The Australian eclectus, Macgillivrayi is the largest & rarest of all the sub species & the only one native to Australia.
I have a ‘pet’ eclectus. I would love to have a Macgillivrayi (one day…). I would also love to visit Cape York Peninsula to the the Macgillivrayi eclectus in the wild.
Thanks for your comments Kim. I’m not an expert in these things and I assumed they were the Australian species. I must take more notice of the sign in the walk through aviary at Adelaide Zoo next time I’m there.