Eclectus parrots are found in areas throughout the Asia Pacific region. The main number of subspecies are The found in the Indonesian archipelago, on the islands of Buru, Ceram, Ambon, Halmahera, Aru, Biak, Sumba and Tanimbar, with the others found in Eclectus Parrot Australia, New Guinea and the Eclectus roratus Solomon Islands. There is an intro duced subspecies, E. r. polychloros, to by Graham Taylor, Gaffs Harbour, the island of Palau, there also are New South Wales, Australia reports of birds being introduced to smaller islands near Tanimbar. Eclectus in the Wild is my opinion that the Eclectus Parrot Eclectus Parrots have been traded for genus is made up of nine subspecies. many hundreds of years throughout y first sighting of Eclectus These are the nominate Eclectus rora Indonesia and in the latest reports I parrots was 32 years ago tus roratus and eight subspecies: E. r. have received, this is still the case. I M on a documentary film vosmaeri, E. r. polychloros, E. r. solomo might add that although Eclectus are expedition. The filming was done in nensis, E. r. macgillivrayi, E. r. arnensis, protected in Indonesia and cannot be the rainforest of the Iron Range of the E. r. biaki, and the two rare subspecies, exported (it is not illegal to own or Cape York Peninsula in North E. r. cornelia and E. r. riedeli. trade them domestically) birds still do Queensland, Australia. The year was In the U.S., the subspecies most reach other countries. I know of a col 1968 and our party of nine, which commonly kept are E. r. polychloros, E. lector in Thailand who owns a fleet of included two Americans, one German, r. solomonensis, E. r. vosmaeri, E. r. fishing boats that do regular trips and six Australians was searching for roratus (known as the Grand throughout these islands in Indonesia. the Palm Cockatoo, Probosciger ater Eclectus), E. r. aruensis, and few pairs Parrots are as much a part of his cargo rimus. Back in those days, the Palm of E. r. biaki, and E. r. cornelia. To my as fish. Cockatoo had rarely been seen or pho knowledge, there are no E. r. I also saw this first hand on a sailing tographed. At that time, my involve macgillivrayi in the U.S. although trip to the Indonesian island of Ambon ment in aviculture was breeding black there have been some unproven in 1974. My mates and I were offered Cockatoos and I had all the species reports that seven birds were seen at birds from canoes that paddled out to except the Black Palm Cockatoo. I was an importer's facility during the last us when we docked in Ambon contacted by an American film pro few years. There are no E. r. riedeli Harbour. There were many Eclectus ducer who heard about my plan to go recorded in the United States. Parrots offered for sale for only a few to Cape York in search of Palm Here in Australia, we keep much the dollars. Not far from us were two ships Cockatoos. same number of subspecies but in not of the Indonesian Navy and after we It was during this trip in 1968, and as many individual birds. The most cleared through immigration, customs, again in 1969, that I saw the Australian popular are E. r. polychloros, E. r. etc., we were invited to one of these Eclectus Parrot for the first time. This solomensis, E. r. macgillivrayi, E. r. vos ships. Upon boarding, we noticed sighting left me with images and mem maeri, and very few E. r. roratus and E. quite a few bamboo cages of birds on ories that have stayed with me all these r. aruensis. There have been reports of the after deck. When I asked what years. In fact, two years later my wife, a small number of E. r. cornelia. they were, I was told that they were my daughter, and I packed up and We also have the same problem as pets owned by the sailors and that they moved from Sydney to Cairns, a dis breeders in the U.S. of cross-bred had purchased them while on duty tance of 1,800 miles with a plan to birds. It was only about 10 years ago throughout the outer islands of obtain a collecting permit for these that Eclectus were sold as just that - Indonesia. There were Eclectus, Great birds and to create a bird park. "Eclectus," a name which covered all bills, Cockatoos, and Racket-tailed In 1973, after obtaining the collecting subspecies. Only in the past few years Parrots. Some of these birds were permit, developing the bird park and have breeders started to become offered to us as well. I am sure that this opening to the public, I did my first aware of specific subspecies and breed enterprise is still going on today. collecting trip back to Cape York. Palm pure birds. I would like to encourage The status of Eclectus Parrots in the Cockatoos and Eclectus parrots were all breeders here in Australia and the wild is for the most part secure, but collected and thus began my lifetime U.S. to breed only pure birds, even for the main threat is deforestation which fascination with these beautiful birds. the pet bird market because in time, is still carried out at an alarming rate. There is some debate about the crossing the subspecies will come All wildlife, not just the birds, will number of Eclectus subspecies, but it back to haunt us all. decline if there is no place to breed.
the afa WATCHBIRD 49 l Of the nine subspecies of Eclectus, Subspecies hirds seeds hecause it was easy to the two that are the least secure are I know many breeders who keep or obtain sunflower seed, Budgie seeds, the Cornelia, E. r. cornelia and the have kept Eclectus in the past who and others. Now I feed only a handful Tanimbar, E. r. riedeli. Only small have trouble identifying the various of Budgie breeders mix per pair, per numbers of these two subspecies subspecies. There are a few good day. My Eclectus diet is 85 to 90 per remain in the wild and there are very books available at present and two or cent fruit, hlossoms, native fruits, gum few breeding pairs in captivity. I three that are presently been written tips, flowering shrubs, and other natur know of only about a dozen of each including one by myself. My book will al dietary items. The fruit depends on of these birds held in Germany, Spain cover all the subspecies and will help the season hut the basic diet is apple, and Indonesia in captive breeding in identifying these subspecies by way pear, hanana, kiwi fruit, grapes, guava, programs. These have produced of photos. There will be identifying carrot, and green beans. These are young and one would hope that guides for each subspecies and up-to diced and fed on a hed of crisp lettuce some will be made available to other date information from the latest field or silverheet leaf. Other fruits including breeders of Eclectus so that their reports on their status in the wild. I mango and pawpaw (papaya) are fed numbers can be expanded. have spent three years researching in season. information for this book and I plan to Eclectus in Aviculture have it published in 2001. Breeder Communications For hundreds of years, Eclectus Many of us Eclectus breeders now have been kept in captivity either as Diet have computers and are members of pets or in aviculture for breeding. As Over the past 30 years or so that I Email lists on the internet. This is a great I mentioned earlier, they still are trad have been keeping Eclectus Parrots, I medium for exchanging information ed in Indonesia on a daily basis for have changed very little in the way that and ideas and helping new members to basic staples such as food or other I maintain and breed them. I use a get involved with these fascinating goods. This has been a way of life for common sense approach with regard hirds. We now can discuss on a daily many years and will continue as long to their diet and nesting requirements, hasis the prohlems that each of us face, as there are birds to take from the having had the chance to study these and help is only a keyboard tap away. wild. We as breeders can do little to birds in their natural environment and One question that has come up a change this, but we can help to build to climb nesting trees to observe an few times is the outside temperature at up the numbers of the more rare sub active nest to learn the size, depth, and which we keep our birds. One breed species when they become available other pertinent information. This has er was worried that leaving her birds to us. Another worthy goal for breed been enormously helpful in determin outside in 90° F. weather would be too ers is to maintain the purity of the ing the way that I care for my birds. hot for her Eclectus hreeders. Eclectus subspecies. I have spent days on end, from day Heat is not a problem for Eclectus light to dark, watching what they eat as long as there is humidity. While col Enclosures and feed upon, how they socialize lecting Eclectus in Cape York during Breeding Eclectus Parrots can be with each other, and during the breed the breeding season, the daily temper achieved in either aviaries that are suit ing season from October to February, ature was around 100° F. and humidi able for breeding one pair, or large watching how they all get on together ty was approximately 98 percent - flight aviaries that can be planted with at the nesting area. The Australian very hot and humid! I spent eight years small trees and shrubs. These parrots Eclectus, E. r. macgillivrayi, nest in tall in Broome, Western Australia, as cura are very sociable birds and can be fig trees and large eucalyptus trees 80 tor and manager of the Pearl Coast placed together with other pairs of to 120 feet high in the rainforest. I have Zoo. During the summer we some Eclectus in a large flight. I have had found active nests at the edge of rain times had daytime temperatures of nine pairs of Eclectus in a large flight forests overlooking open forest areas. I 107° F. (42 degrees Celsius) and low and they all got on well with each also have found pairs nesting together humidity. In order to raise the humidi other. The only thing I had to do was in the same tree; in fact, one particular ty, we installed sprinklers on the roof to band the chicks in the nest so I tree had three active nests in it. of each aviary which raised the humid could keep track of all the young Eclectus Parrots are arboreal which ity quite a lot. In Broome, our Eclectus when they fledged. The smallest means that their diet comes from what bred year round. breeding flight was 12 feet by 4 feet they can find in the canopy of the for I hope that this article is of some square with the nest box on the out est - fruits, gum nuts, seeds, and hlos help to all hreeders of these hirds and side. This is only recommended for soms of flowering native trees. There that we can continue to exchange commercial breeding and birds should are many wild fruits for these hirds to information with each other to hetter be placed into larger flights after the feed upon. We should try to imitate care for the hirds that we have, and to breeding season so that they can get this for our hirds in captivity. become hetter breeders of all the sub more exercise. Like many other hreeders, I fed my species of Eclectus roratus. .,.,..
50 Marchi April 2001