The Papuan eclectus, red-sided eclectus, or New Guinea eclectus is a parrot species which is native to New Guinea. Larger than the Moluccan eclectus, the green plumage of the male only has a slight yellow tinge and the tail is tipped with a half-inch yellow band. The central tail feathers are green and lateral ones blue and green. It is widely distributed from Kai Islands and western islands of the West Papua province in the west, across the island of New Guinea to the Trobriands, D'Entrecasteaux Islands, Louisiade Archipelago, Bismarck Archipelago, and Solomon Islands to the east, and south to the northern Cape York Peninsula of Australia. It has also been introduced to the Goram Islands, Indonesia.
Region
New Guinea and surrounding archipelagos
Typical Environment
The Papuan eclectus ranges from the Kai Islands and western offshore islands of New Guinea across the entire island to the Trobriand, D’Entrecasteaux, Louisiade, and Bismarck archipelagos, extending east to the Solomon Islands and south to the northern Cape York Peninsula of Australia. It has also been introduced to the Goram Islands of Indonesia. It inhabits primary and secondary lowland and hill rainforests, swamp forests, and forest edges, and frequently visits coconut groves and cultivated areas. Birds are most often seen in the mid to upper canopy but will descend to feed where fruiting trees occur.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Often called the red-sided or New Guinea eclectus, this bird is the Papuan subspecies (Eclectus roratus polychloros) of the eclectus parrot. It shows striking sexual dimorphism: males are vivid green while females are rich red with blue to purple highlights. Males have bright orange bills; females have black bills and often guard nest hollows for long periods. Popular in aviculture for their intelligence and talking ability, they are not truly domesticated.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
strong flier with steady, direct wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen in pairs or small, loose flocks, gathering at fruiting trees. Females may defend a suitable nest hollow for extended periods while males range widely to forage and court-feed them. Nests are placed high in large tree cavities, and pairs may reuse the same site for many seasons.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are loud, metallic squawks and rasping screeches that carry over long distances in the forest. Contact calls between mates are frequent, with sharper alarm notes when disturbed.
