{"id":3005,"date":"2021-02-09T14:19:42","date_gmt":"2021-02-09T14:19:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wwbirds.co.za\/dir\/?p=3005"},"modified":"2024-09-29T07:06:54","modified_gmt":"2024-09-29T07:06:54","slug":"q-a-better-to-breed-eclectus-parrots-in-pairs-or-in-a-colony-by-tony-silva","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wwbirds.co.za\/dir\/q-a-better-to-breed-eclectus-parrots-in-pairs-or-in-a-colony-by-tony-silva\/","title":{"rendered":"Q & A: \u201cBetter to breed Eclectus parrots in pairs or in a colony?\u201d by Tony Silva"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Q & A: \u201cBetter to breed Eclectus parrots in pairs or in a colony?\u201d by Tony Silva<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo courtesy: Kim Forster <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the early 1990s, Australian aviculturists Peter Chapman and Keith Dickins, the owner of Loro Parque Wolfgang Kiessling, and I visited Queensland, Australia. We spent time at Musgrave Station looking at wild Golden-shouldered Parrots (Psephotus chrysopterygius), which nest in peak-shaped terrestrial termitaria, but our focus of that trip and the final destination was even further north than Musgrave–it was the Iron Range. Here are found two species that were on our “must-see” list: the Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) and the Australian Eclectus (Eclectus roratus macgillivrayi). 

Peter Chapman, who is an extolled aviculturist and field observer, literally told us the time and location where we would see both. The Palm Cockatoos had come to the ground to drink on the spot and time he indicated. The Eclectus nested in a tree in whose base we set up camp. We could observe the nesting habits of the Eclectus. The days spent with Peter were like watching a movie for the second time: you knew where and when events would occur.

The tree under which we set up our tent had an active Eclectus nest. The female was fed and mated with multiple males. She was like a bee who controlled the hive (the males), calling for food when hungry and mating when she felt it was necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Photo courtesy: Kellie Stewart<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Breed Eclectus parrots: Parrot interview with Laurella Desborough<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n


Those days of observation changed my entire perspective of Eclectus. Before seeing them in the wild, I knew that the female was dominant, that they lack a pair bond–the nexus seen in macaws and cockatoos, for example, which spend long hours preening each other (the hair-like feathers on the head of Eclectus do not require preening for the sheath enveloping the feathers to fall) is not present in Eclectus–and females accept food and the mating advances of multiple males.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This allowed me to experiment with colonies and with trios. In a colony, the females can bicker over a particular nest; I had one crush on the lower mandible of a cage mate, even though they were sisters and had been reared together. In a trio, the hen could pick the male with whom she wanted to mate and she could receive food from both f her consorts.

More pairs of tame Eclectus produce clear eggs than any other group. Every time I visit an aviculturist that has multiple Eclectus I am asked about infertile eggs. In many cases, a quick glance gives me the answer. The male is afraid of the female, never feeding with her, never sitting on the same perch, and avoiding close contact at all cost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such males rarely build up the courage to breed. Because of this, I always recommend that when Eclectus are to be kept as pairs, they should be introduced when very young. The female then learns to tolerate the male and as such does not display aggression towards him. I prefer pairing young parent-reared birds but find that hand-reared youngsters reared together also make suitable future pairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n