Eclectus Species Identification & Side-by-side Comparisons

Eclectus Information (Personality, Care, Diet, Subspecies)

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".

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

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.

Male Identification

Female Identification

Females of the different subspecies may be distinguished from each other by differences in size and colour. 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.

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.

Size Differences Amongst Eclectus Species

Eclectus Roratus Female Identification

Sub-species Identification (side-by-side comparisons of Red Sided, Vosmaeri, & Solomon Island Eclectuses (Shades of Red & Green Eclectus Website)

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.

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