Birds · Psittaciformes · Psittaculidae

Moluccan Eclectus

Eclectus roratus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The Moluccan eclectus shows the most extreme sexual dimorphism of any parrot and one of the greatest of any bird: the male is a brilliant emerald green with an orange bill, and the female an intense red with a violet-blue breast and belly and a black bill. The difference is so great that for almost a century European ornithologists classified them as two different species, until they were seen breeding together.

Weight

380 g – 560 g

Size

35 cm – 42 cm

Lifespan

30 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestIslandsHerbivore Diurnal In pairs Bird Rainforest Islands

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Fun facts

Male and female are so different that they were catalogued as two separate species until the early twentieth century.
The explanation lies in the nest: the red female stays for months inside a tree hollow defending it, visible from a distance to rival females, while the green male ranges the canopy in search of food and needs to blend in among the leaves.
Females may mate with several males, and all of them feed the same brood without knowing which of the chicks are theirs.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Canopy of lowland rainforest in New Guinea, the Moluccas, the Solomons and northern Australia
Birth weight: Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
Size at birth: Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
Sexual maturity: 3 years
Gestation / incubation: 28 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 2 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclectus_roratus

Where to find it

See its range on the interactive map

Best time: All year round in New Guinea, the Moluccas and northern Australia, by day; the female, red and blue, looks out from the nest hole for months on end.