Solomon Island Eclectus Parrot

 

The Ellen Trout Zoo is now home to a pair of Solomon Island Eclectus Parrots.  This is one of the smallest subspecies (about 12 inches in length) but that’s not the most interesting thing about them.  Eclectus Parrots are one of the few species of parrot that demonstrate sexual dimorphism. 

 

What that means is that males and females are different colors.  This is seen in many other types of birds including the peafowl that roam the zoo (brilliant blue males and dull brown females) and the cardinals in your back yard (brilliant red male and dull brownish female).  A second unusual fact about the coloring of Eclectus Parrots is that it is the female that is the bright color and the male that is more subdued; the reverse of what is commonly seen in other birds.  Female Eclectus Parrots are predominantly red while males are predominantly green.

 

Male and female coloring is so different that they were originally believed to be two species.  The name Eclectus comes from the word “eclectic” which means “from various sources”.  This refers to the disparate colors of the male and female. 

 

Come out to the Zoo and welcome Georgie and Cherry.