Critter Close-up: Django the Eclectus Parrot

Django's one eclectic character

Recently I got to meet quirky avian character, Django the Eclectus Parrot.

People can meet Django in the first walk-through aviary at the Bunbury Wildlife Park, where he will greet you with a sharp call and fly over to you inquisitively.

Senior Wildlife Park officer Amanda Engstrom said Django is one of the parks most-loved characters.

“They’re absolutely beautiful birds, great pets and fantastic mimics,” Ms Engstrom said.

“They have great character, everyone loves Django.”

Django often competes with the other parrots for Ms Engstrom’s attention, squawking loudly and flapping his wings in dismay if he isn’t getting attention.

“He gets so jealous if I’m holding another bird, and if he’s on my shoulder and I’m talking to you, he’ll squawk and peck,” she said.

But once he has all of the attention he is as lovable as they come, which is one of the many reasons they are such great pets.

Hand-reared parrots often display this territorial behaviour with their owner as the result of a strong, natural force called imprinting, where young birds learn to recognise their parents for survival reasons.

Eclectus Parrots aren’t native to Western Australia, there are nine subspecies found across the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, Sumba, the Maluku Islands and Cape York in far north Queensland.

They can live to around 30 years of age which makes them great companions and their loyalty is second to none.

The wildlife park’s other resident Eclectus Parrots, known by the keepers as “Eccies,” are odd couple Ruby and Oscar, who were hand-reared and donated to the park by their Bunbury owners who often visit.

According to Ms Engstrom, Oscar, 18 months, is currently going through the stages of reaching maturity making him moody, while Ruby, two, is known for her mischievous sense of humour and excellent mimicry.

Male and female “Eccies” are vastly different in appearance; the males are bright green with orange beaks while the females are bright red with deep blue chest plumage.

“They’re called Eclectus parrots because of the difference, the eclecticity between the male and the female,” Ms Engstrom said.

“People always thought that the male and female were two different species,” she said.

“It was only quite recently that they realised they were the same.”

Breeding season keeps this colourful species busy, with females actively defending their nest from other females, sometimes fighting to the death.

Unlike many other parrot species, Eclectus Parrots are polygynandrous, the males and females not exclusively mating with one another, instead having multiple mates.

“Males often have two females when they’re nesting and they’ll feed both,” Ms Engstrom said.

“So in breeding season they are quite busy little fellas.”

Their big beaks with sharp points are ideally suited to their herbivorous lifestyle, consisting on a diet of blossoms, nuts, seeds, berries and tropical fruits.

Habitat destruction and feral cats and foxes have reduced many Australian bird species to critical levels, but fortunately the Eclectus Parrot isn’t of conservation concern at the moment and hopefully that is the way it will stay.