Just as the Eclectus parrot is a breed of parrots as a whole, there are numerous different breeds of the Eclectus parrot, known as subspecies. These subspecies are identified by their colors, marking, and their size. There are currently ten different subspecies of the Eclectus parrot.
These subspecies include the Eclectus Roratus Roratus, the Eclectus Roratus Vasmaeri, the Eclectus Roratus Westermani, the Eclectus Roratus Cornelia, the Eclectus Roratus Riedeli, the Eclectus Roratus polychloros, the Eclectus Roratus Biak, the Eclectus Roratus Aruensis, the Eclectus Roratus Macgillivrayi, and the Eclectus Roratus Solomonensis.
Each of these subspecies come from different geographic locations. For example, the Eclectus Roratus Roratus, known as the Grand Eclectus, comes from Southern Moluccas. The Eclectus Roratus Vosmaeri comes from both northern and central Moluccas. The Eclectus Roratus Westermani comes from breeders, and is basically a sample specimen. You can think of him as a mixed breed.
When the subspecies are written or spoken, instead of spelling or saying Eclectic Roratus, the general reference is just E.R. Therefore, the E.R. Cornelia comes from Sumba and Lesser Sumba Islands. The E.R Riedeli comes from Tanimbar Island. The E.R Polychloros, known as the Red-Sided Eclectus, comes from New Guinea and Indonesia. The E.R Biak got his name because he came from the Biak Islands. The E.R. Aruensis comes from the Aru Islands. The E.R. Macgillivrayi comes from the Cape York Peninsula in Australia, and the E.R. Solomonensis comes from Admiralty Island, Bismarck Archipelago, and the Solomon Islands.
Again, the coloring plays a big role, not only in the different subspecies, but also in telling the difference between males and females. Experts agree that the Eclectus parrot species, as a whole, is the most color dimorphic bird in the entire world. As base colors, all female Eclectus parrots are a bright red, while the males are green. It is the difference in the color patterns, and color variations in the wings that set the subspecies apart. Size also comes into play, although none of the subspecies will be bigger than fifteen inches, or smaller than twelve inches. Other than these differences, everything else is generally the same.
When you start searching for a breeder, be sure to ask which subspecies of Eclectus parrots they breed. If they can?t give you an answer, move on to a different breeder. Also, as soon as you know what subspecies they have, read up on that particular subspecies to learn more about them. Generally, only breeders refer to their Eclectus parrots by their various subspecies. Those who simply love these birds, but do not breed them, refer to them simply as Eclectus, Eclectus parrots, or parrots.