Eclectus

[Cowgirl Chris]

I have read on several threads, people wondering about eclectuses. So just for people who have never really seen the difference between a male and a female eclectus, I have attached pictures of my female solomon island eclectus crybaby and a male eclectus gizmo (belongs to a friend of mine). There are four different subspecies of the electus which are Solomon Island, Grand, Red Sided and Vosmaeri. Though all male electus are the green and the females are the more colorful reds, blues and purples, it is very hard to tell the difference between the male subspecies then it is the female subspecies if you are a beginner to the eclectus (and sometimes even the most knowledgable person on eclectuses can be wrong on identifing them). Don't get me wrong, it is also hard to tell the female subspecies apart as well, but it is not as hard as to identify the male subspecies. For this reason, there are alot of hybrids being born every day in same aviaries. This is because people either don't care that they are breeding two different subspecies together or they wrongly identified the male and the female. I have been studing the eclectus parrot for two years now (ever since I got my crybaby) and I find these birds to be one of the most amazing parrots out there. If any of you members would like me to continue this thread on the eclecuts parrot, then please let me know and I will gladly share all of the knowledge that I have with you.

[Cowgirl Chris]

Please don't anyone get me wrong, I am not claiming to be an expert on the ekkie. And I know that there is more to learn on them. So if anyone has anything to add on the ekkies please do so.

[jimpierce7]

lol actually there are 9 or 10 sub species depending on who you ask. As I am soon to be bringing home the most wonderfull Red Sided Eclectus (looks like Solomon Island Ekkie but is bigger and has a more "strong" personality) I have found that the Ekkie owners here are awesome with their forthright information.

[Cowgirl Chris]

I know I read/hear about all of these different types of ekkies and in reality (IMO) it boils down to those four. Maybe I should have just put species instead of sub-species lol.

[felisdomesticus]

I love my ekkie girl. I've read that the females can be mean, tempermental, aggressive, etc. but my redhead is pretty well-behaved--when she isn't hanging upside down from the bottom of her boing and trying to tease the cats. I have no idea which subspecies she is and I've given up trying to figure it out.

[Cowgirl Chris]

Originally Posted by felisdomesticus

I love my ekkie girl. I've read that the females can be mean, tempermental, aggressive, etc. but my redhead is pretty well-behaved--when she isn't hanging upside down from the bottom of her boing and trying to tease the cats. I have no idea which subspecies she is and I've given up trying to figure it out.

If you send me some close ups (front view and side view) of her chest, beak and the bottom and top of her tail feathers (a whole side view would be good too) I will give you my opinion on what I think she is. Oh I had to attach a picture of crybaby enjoying a scratch

[Cowgirl Chris]

Here is some information that I was able to gather. I have attached pictures of the underneath of the male tail feathers and the male head (I found these on the internet)

grand ekkie male has a duller, but darker green body plumage compared to the Vosmaeri male, which is a bright grass green. The color of its upper mandible ranges in color from the bright candy-corn color to a slightly paler version. It normally does not have a pale orange upper mandible, which is normally a sign of immaturity or inadequate nutrition in its diet. The Grand male has a faint tip of dull yellow coloration that can be observed at the end of its tail. This faint yellow tip coloration is much more visual from below (vent side) than it is from the topside. The yellow tip of the tail on the Grand is much fainter than is observed on the Vosmaeri male subspecies. The upper mandible of the Grand male is more slender than it is on any other subspecies.
The outer wing-web primaries are dark blue with a narrow green edging. The center tail feathers are green while the outer tail feathers are blackish green blending to dark blue towards the tip. The underside of the tail is blackish in color. His iris is a straw yellow.
The Grand Eclectus female is one of the most difficult to identify of any of the female Eclectus subspecies. The chest and breast feather coloration of is a dull purplish coloration. The biggest variation found in Grand females is the placement of the dividing line between the red head and the dull purple chest feathers. Individual variations show the purple chest feathers blending into the red head feathers at the chin line. This is the least frequently observed. Other Grand females have an inch and one half diffusion of purple feathers blending into the red feathers at the chest. Another group of Grand females have a defined separation between the red feathers and the purple breast feathers. The tail of the Grand female is shorter in total length than is found in the Vosmaeri female. The tail of the Grand female appears as an orangeish coloration often tending to an orangish-yellow tinge. This orange-yellow coloration is brighter on the top or rump side. The central ‘ ;V’ area of the vent is usually a darkish red coloration. Her iris is yellowish to a whitish yellow in color. Grand weight is 380-475 gm and height is 13.5 in
The Red-sided Eclectus male is a deep forest green color with a bluish tint. This is more noticeable in the head and neck areas. Its green body plumage has a yellowish ting compared to the Grand Eclectus that is very similar to the Red-sided male. The Red-sided is slightly larger in overall size compared to the Grand Eclectus. The Red-sided Eclectus has dark blue primary coverts and its primaries have distinct green edging to the outer webs. They have a wide band of pale light yellow edging on its tail. This band is especially visual from beneath being about one half inch in width. This yellowish tail band is even wider than that of the male Vosmaeri. Its iris is orange-red in color.
The Red-sided female is distinctly known for its brilliant royal blue breast, mantle and lower belly feather coloration. This royal blue coloration forms a very distinct bib that shows a well-defined line between it and the red neck and head feathers. In some individual birds this blue bib may show a light tint of purple in it. Those females that are darker blue breast coloration tend to have a narrower blue eye ring. The intense red feathers on its head and neck extend down to the bird’s breast-bone shows a very sharp contrast to the brilliant blue bib. This bib is low on the breast almost cutting the bird visually in half. The brilliant blue bib does not flow on the body over the wing bend area when the wings are closed. This is very different to those subspecies (Vosmaeri and Grand) with lavender or purple in them. A brilliant bluish-purple bib that flows over the closed wing bend is almost for sure a hybrid.The Red-sided female has an eye ring of tiny blue feathers that completely surround the eye. This blue eye ring usually appears after the bird’s first molt but may not be observed until the bird is over one year of age. Red-sided female has a dark red back, upper tail coverts and thigh feathers. Some of the wing feathers show green on the inside, which is covered by the outer portion of the next feather. Some of her back feathers also may show a green (closest to the body) that is overlapped by the next feather. tail is reddish-maroon colored at the base and becomes a bright red toward the center and ends with a pinkish-red coloration that is often tinged in orange. Red-sided weight is 470-525 gm and height is 14.5 in
The Solomon Island Eclectus male is smaller than the Red-sided Eclectus and its overall body color has a yellowish cast to it. This gives the green an iridescence look. This yellowish or goldish cast is more evident in its upper wing coverts. The top side of the tail is strongly suffused with bright blue and the barring at the edge of its tail appears as a pale yellow band. In some individual specimens, this tail barring is more whitish. The red oval patch on the body that is evident along the sides of the body where the wings fold is more elongated and wider in the Solomon Islands Eclectus than in most other Eclectus subspecies. The red begins and the bend of the wing and descends for about four inches down the body and ends close to the thigh. This red coloration extends beneath the wings and continues on through to and including the under wing coverts. The iris coloration on the Solomon Island Eclectus is very reddish in color as an adult.
The Solomon Island Eclectus female has a small rounded head and shorter tail, which gives this female the appearance of being round. This subspecies is much lighter red than the Red-sided Eclectus. The Solomon Island Eclectus have the well-defined bib of the Red-sided except the breast colors are different. The Red-sided female has breast and mantle feathers that are bright blue in color. The Solomon Island Eclectus female has a light purple cast to the blue on its breast. (An explanation of this is the feather barb is iridescent royal blue on the Red-sided and its barbules are gray-black. The barbs of the Solomon Island female shows a much thinner line of royal blue, edged by a thin line of mauve on either side of the blue. Its barbules are also gray black. This results in a light purple cast to the on the Solomon Island Eclectus blue breast.) It also has a broader blue eye ring compared to the Red-sided Eclectus subspecies. The primary coverts of the Solomon Island Eclectus are paler blue and this paling also appears on it outer edging of each primary feather. It has a very short tail averaging around 3.5 – 4.25 inches. Her iris is straw-yellow in coloration. Usual S.I weight is 390-425 grams and height is 13-13.5 in

[Cowgirl Chris]

Vosmaeri (VOS) Eclectus male has a bright green body plumage that is more intense than it is in the Grand male. It appears to have a fluorescent intensity to its green coloration, which may come from a yellowish overlay. It certainly has a bright grass green coloration. There is an oval patch of bright red feathers that is found on the upper thigh of the Vosmaeri male that can easily be observed when its wings are folded. When the male opens his wings in preparation of courtship or in a defensive posture, this bright red patch widens across the body, beneath the wings and continues through to the under-wing coverts. This creates an incredible display of color during these times. Even when opening its wings to fly, this flashy display is set off by the brilliant iridescent turquoise-blue coloration at the bend in the wings.The male has a tail that is strongly suffused with blue and is tipped with a pale yellow coloration. This pale yellow tip varies in width but is usually very visual (1/4 to 3/8 inch). It is wider and brighter than any of the Eclectus male subspecies commonly found in captivity. The tail of the Vosmaeri male has a blackish overtone and clearly does not have the brilliant cadmium-yellow of the Vosmaeri female. The Vosmaeri male also has one of the longest tails of any of the Eclectus subspecies. The upper mandible of the Vosmaeri male is bright reddish-orange often referred to as looking like a piece of candy corn. It is brilliantly red at the base ending with yellowish-orange at the tip. It has the brightest upper mandible of any of the Eclectus subspecies. Its lower beak is black in coloration. The iris of an adult Eclectus male is orangish-amber in color.
The female Vosmaeri Eclectus is one of the most striking of all the Eclectus female subspecies. The top back of their head is slightly flattened and they have the appearance of having a very long neck when comparing them to other Eclectus subspecies. They have a bright lavender breast coloration. To the common eye these breast feathers appear to have a hair-like quality. In actuality these feathers are composed of barbs that have a thin line of iridescent blue, and red barbules edged with gray. The effect appears as bright lavender color. The outer edges of the barbs have short barbules and no barbules on the tips. This gives them the hair-like quality. The red body feathers have bright red barbs and lighter red barbules. This also gives the red head coloration of the Vosmaeri female a brilliant shade. Their head coloration is brighter in the Vosmaeri than those of the Red-sided Eclectus. The red barbs are the same in both subspecies but the grayish-black barbules in the Red-sided cause the overall effect to be a duller red on the latter subspecies. The lavender breast feather coloration of the Vosmaeri female is gradually blended into the red coloration of the head in a broad area ending near the neck of the bird. There is no clear dividing line or bib line that is so evident in the Red-sided subspecies. Some individual birds within the Vosmaeri subspecies show a lighter lavender color that the majority of the birds. The nape of the neck and the upper mantle shows a rich band of deep lavender color. There is a broad band of lavender on the body that flows over the wing bend when the bird’s wings are closed. The back and upper wing coverts are a deep red coloration that is brighter than those of any other Eclectus subspecies. The under tail coverts and vent feathers of the Vosmaeri female are cadmium-yellow in coloration. The upper side of the tail is dark red with a distinct band of cadmium yellow that can be from 1 to 1-1/2 inches in width. Usually the width of this band of yellow corresponds with the lavender breast coloration. The wider the yellow tail-band the lighter the color of the lavender becomes. The narrower yellow band correlates to a darker lavender breast coloration often tending to the breast coloration of the Grand female. The cadmium-yellow coloration is also variable on the underside of the Vosmaeri female. They typically have solid yellow on the under tail coverts and through to the wide cadmium-yellow under tail band. Any female observed with lavender-colored breast feathers that has blotched or blended yellow and red coloration on its under tail coverts is not a true Vosmaeri subspecies and is probably a hybrid. One must always relate the Vosmaeri female with a bright cadmium-yellow tail. The tail of the Vosmaeri female is quite long in comparison to most other female Eclectus subspecies. Their thigh feathers are dark red in coloration with the lavender coloration ending between the legs and the red continues from this point to the vent. The iris of and adult Vosmaeri Eclectus female is golden-amber in coloration. Vos weight 430-540 gm and height 15 in