The Papuan eclectus, red-sided eclectus, or New Guinea eclectus (''Eclectus polychloros'') is a parrot species which is native to

Sumba Sumba ( id, Pulau Sumba) is an island in eastern Indonesia. It is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands and is in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. Sumba has an area of , and the population was 779,049 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as a ...

. 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 The Kai Islands (also Kei Islands) of Indonesia are a group of islands in the southeastern part of the Maluku Islands, located in the province of Maluku. The Moluccas have been known as the Spice Islands due to regionally specific plants such ...

and western islands of the West Papua province in the west, across the island of New Guinea to the Trobriands,

D'Entrecasteaux Islands D'Entrecasteaux Islands () are situated near the eastern tip of New Guinea in the Solomon Sea in Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. The group spans a distance of , has a total land area of approximately and is separated from the Papua New G ...

, and

Louisiade Archipelago The Louisiade Archipelago is a string of ten larger volcanic islands frequently fringed by coral reefs, and 90 smaller coral islands in Papua New Guinea. It is located 200 km southeast of New Guinea, stretching over more than and spread ...

to the east. It has also been introduced to the Goram Islands, Indonesia.

Subspecies

*''E. p. polychloros'', known as the Papuan eclectus, was named by Scopoli. Larger than the nominate race, 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

and western islands of the West Papua province in the west, across the island of New Guinea to the Trobriands,

, and

to the east. It has also been introduced to the Goram Islands, Indonesia. *''E. p. macgillivrayi'', known as the Australian eclectus, was named by

Gregory Mathews Gregory Macalister Mathews CBE FRSE FZS FLS (10 September 1876 – 27 March 1949) was an Australian-born amateur ornithologist who spent most of his later life in England. Life He was born in Biamble in New South Wales the son of Robert H. ...

in 1912. It is found on the tip of

Cape York Peninsula Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación ...

. It resembles ''E. p. polychloros'', but is larger overall. *''E. p. solomonensis'', known as the Solomon Island eclectus, resembles ''E. p. polychloros'', but is smaller overall with smaller bills and paler orange in the upper mandible of the male. The green of the male has a more yellow tint, quite similar to the green of '' E. r. vosmaeri''. The following were previously considered to be valid subspecies, but are now included within the nominate ssp., ''E. p. polychloros'' by the IOC. They are still considered as separate subspecies under the taxonomy utilized by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

. *Aru Island eclectus parrot (''E. p. aruensis'') – While some believe this bird is doubtfully valid from ''E. p. polychloros'', others believe it is a distinct subspecies, as the rich yellow on the tail tip of the male often is infused with pink, orange, or bright red. At this point, no male eclectus in other subspecies has been described with this type of tail feather coloring. The Aru Island eclectus specimens are also larger than ''E. p. polychloros'', often weighing 100 grams or more than ''E. p. polychloros''. *Biak Island eclectus parrot (''E. p. biaki'') – While some believe the Biak eclectus is doubtfully valid from ''E. p. polychloros'', others believe it is a distinct subspecies due to the size difference, vocalization, and behavior differences.

Aviculture

Many Papuan eclectus in captivity in Australia are apparently hybrids between subspecies ''E. p. polychloros'' and ''E. p. solomonensis'', as

Taronga Zoo Sydney Taronga Zoo is a zoo located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in the suburb of Mosman, on the shores of Sydney Harbour. The opening hours are between 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Taronga is an Aboriginal word meaning 'beautiful water view'. ...

had a flock of these two subspecies in a large aviary many years ago. Specimens of the Australian subspecies ''E. p. macgillivrayi'' have only recently entered the aviculture market in Australia and are more expensive.Forshaw, 2006

References

Eclectus Birds of Australia Birds of Indonesia Birds of Papua New Guinea Birds of the Solomon Islands Birds described in 1786 Taxa named by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli {{Parrot-stub