The Moluccan eclectus (Eclectus roratus) is unusual in the parrot family for its extreme difference in the colors of the plumage between the male and the female. Joseph Forshaw, in his book Parrots of the World, noted that the first European ornithologists to see Eclectus parrots thought they were of two distinct species. Large populations of this parrot remain, and they are sometimes considered pests for eating fruit off trees. Some populations restricted to relatively small islands are comparably rare. Their bright feathers are also used by native tribespeople in New Guinea as decorations.
The Moluccan eclectus is a stocky short-tailed parrot. The male is mostly bright green with a yellow tinge on the head. It has blue primaries, and red flanks and underwing coverts. Its tail is edged with a narrow band of creamy yellow and is dark grey edged with creamy yellow underneath, and the tail feathers are green centrally and bluer as they get towards the edges. The grand Eclectus female is mostly bright red with a darker hue on the back and wings. The mantle and underwing coverts darken to a more purple color, and the wing is edged with a mauve blue. The tail is edged with yellowish-orange above and is more orange tipped with yellow underneath. The upper mandible of the adult male is orange at the base fading to a yellow towards the tip, and the lower mandible is black. The beak of the adult female is all black. Adults have yellow to orange irises and juveniles have dark brown to black irises. The upper mandible of both male and female juveniles are brown at the base fading to yellow towards the biting edges and the tip. The abdomen and nape of the females are blue in most subspecies, purple abdomen and nape in the subspecies (roratus), and lavender abdomen and nape in the (vosmaeri). Females of riedeli and vosmaeri also have yellow undertail coverts. The female vosmaeri displays the brightest red of all the subspecies, both on the head and body.
These parrots are native to the Maluku Islands (Moluccas) an archipelago in the eastern part of Indonesia. They live in forests, often near water or coastal areas, and often occur in savanna woodland, mangroves, freshwater swamp, plantations, and rural gardens.
Moluccan eclectus are shy and secretive birds. They are active during the day spending most of their time collecting food, eating, and resting. They live in pairs or small flocks and at night roost in groups. These parrots are quite noisy. They make a screeching flight call, chuckling, and bell-like sounds; when feeding they keep in contact with each other using a ‘chu-wee’ sound. Moluccan eclectus parrots have an interesting adaptation that is connected with the difference in the colors of the plumage between the sexes. The female must remain conspicuous at the entry to the nest hole (to advertise her presence at her hollow to males and rival females), but well hidden when in the depths of the nest, because the red color hides her well in the darkness. The brilliant green color of the male helps him remain hidden amongst the trees whilst foraging. However, the plumage of both sexes appears spectacular when viewed in the ultraviolet spectrum, an ability that predators such as hawks and owls lack.
