Caring for a Parrot: From Aviaries to Beta Carotene

I don't know about you, but I am a bird lover. My daughter has parakeets, and they are cute, but I love a bird that will talk to me. I am a writer for an agency on the Web, and my assignment has been on my favorite bird, the Eclectus parrot. There are so many species of parrot within the Electus genus, and I'm learning so much more about them than I knew.

I just finished an article on the Red-sided Eclectus Parrot, also known as the New Guinea Eclectus Parrot. I think we all have been taught that you can tell a male bird from a female, because the male is prettier. One might or might not be prettier than the other, but they usually are different. The difference is called sexual dimorphism; where the male and female have very different color patterns on their bodies and wings.

The female of this breed of parrot has a bright red head and neck, and her breast and underside is royal blue, and she may even have a hint of violet shading. She has an eye ring that the male of her species does not have. Her tail is multicolored from a reddish black at the base to a bright red that fades out to a light pink.

The male is bright green with dark blue wings. In my opinion the male is not more beautiful than the female; he is just as beautiful, just different. These differences in their appearance, dimorphism, translates sexual identity in the species.

In the wild, this bird lives in the canopy of the rain forests of New Guinea and the surrounding islands. They mate all year round and raise their young with all their parrot aunt and uncles there to help. They live together in harmony just like an extended family. The other family members assist the primary pair.