The eclectus parrot (Eclectus roratus) is a parrot native to the Solomon Islands, Sumba, New Guinea and nearby islands, northeastern Australia, and the Maluku Islands (Moluccas).
It is unusual in the parrot family for its extreme sexual dimorphism of the colours of the plumage; the male (photo here, below) having a mostly bright emerald green plumage and the female a mostly bright red and purple/blue plumage. Joseph Forshaw, in his book Parrots of the World, noted that the first European ornithologists to see eclectus parrots thought they were of two distinct species.
Large populations of this parrot remain, and they are sometimes considered pests for eating fruit off trees. Some populations restricted to relatively small islands are comparably rare. Their bright feathers are also used by native tribespeople in New Guinea as decorations.
This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme
How gorgeous! It's so perfect it doesn't look real. Makes me want to get out the paints and try to paint him!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful parrot! Parrots are one of my many favorite birds. Great photo. Thank you for linking up and sharing your critter post. Take care, have a great weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
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