Countries of origin: Indonesia, New Guinea and Australia's Cape York Peninsula.

Size: Medium, 13-16 inches long and up to 550 grams, or a little over one pound (Australian eclectus, Eclectus r. macgillivrayi).

Personality: Often behaves calmly even when frightened, which has led to a reputation for lethargy. Once acclimated, enjoys toys and bonds strongly with owner. Relatively quiet but does have harsh screech.

Talking ability: Moderate to excellent, some say equal to the African grey's.

Listen:
Male eclectus saying, "Go potty. Hurry up!", followed by loud screech.
(Thanks to Simon's Home Page.)

Average lifespan: 30-50 years.

Additional reading:

• Land of Vos. Owner's comprehensive site.

What owners say:

TWINKLE is a joy. Has never bitten me in over 3 years. This is an excellent choice for a bird. She is not a feather-plucker, not very messy, poop-trained over paper or napkin when asked, is very smart and not a noisy bird. She has not talked but does respond to you by cooing, chortling, making small noises. This bird is not a picky eater, enjoys fruits, veggies, pasta, grain, a little bit of everything. She is also NOT a one-person bird but allows everyone to pick her up. She is not afriad of other animals and is a well-balanced, not neurotic bird. I got her from a breeder in Atlanta, GA. It is important NOT to get a hybrid. --Terri Cook

I KNOW YOU WON'T publish this, but I would not recommend an eclectus unless you want to take the very real and very likely chance that you will end up living 30 years with a bird that plucks. See www.rubyaquila.com. --Lori and Todd, Culver City, Calif.

MY 7-MONTH-OLD red-sided eclectus, Finnigan, is a joy! He is also my very first bird. He was weaned at 3 1/2 months and flew in a carrier aboard a plane all the way from California to Birmingham, Ala. His flight was 14 hours long and when I picked him up from the airport he looked just great. He has been such a sweet, sweet boy. He loves to play, has just started talking; saying hello mostly, just finished his first molt and eats everything! I feed him seed mix during the day as I am at work. At night he gets his evening meal which can consist of just about everything. He eats all types of greens, carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, apples, oranges, grapes, rice, split peas and fresh sprouts. It's a lot of work, but it really doesn't seem like it at all. It's well worth it! He loves to cuddle, takes showers and puts himself to bed every night at 7:30 p.m. If he can't enter his cage by himself he will come find me to help him in. --Angie Chamblee, arieskp@yahoo.com

BALTHAZAR, about three years old, loves his wise-man name and lives up to it. His "family" consists of us, my blue-and-gold macaw, an African grey, a Meyer's and a dog and cat, too! They love spending time together in their outdoor aviary and get along well. He imitates the others in his cute little voice and he loves to be shocking sometimes by screaming just for fun. Mostly, though, he's rather quiet, doe-eyed, loving, and gentle. He loves to cuddle. His little feet go out from under him when I hold him close and he burrows in close. He loves to be petted and "scritched," though I had read that usually they don't like it. He even falls asleep there sometimes (with the grey on the other side) at night when I'm in bed watching TV. So sweet. I adore them all, but I agree that there's something special about an eclectus. --KarinaK@aol.com

OLIVER WILL be two this April. He talks well and appropriately a great deal of the time. My husband and I both work, so he is in his cage during work hours. He is out and about as soon as we get home. He is the only bird so he has a lot of one-on-one attention. He loves showers. He likes company and is crazy about children. The only down-side so far is that he loves to chase our cocker spaniel, trying to bite his hind leg. He likes squeaky toys and loves to eat. He likes to be close but doesn't like to cuddle. He will sit on your hand and doze off at times. He says quite a few words or phrases. He is a joy to live with. --Carolyn Neikirk, Newport, Tenn.

I RECENTLY purchased a Solomon Island eclectus and I must say I will never have another type of bird. (And I have owned lovebirds, cockatiels, Quakers and finches.) Solomon (I know, what an original name!) is very quiet compared to the Quakers and is a whole lot less messy (poop wise). He is very sweet and loves to cuddle, is already saying "Mama" and "hello" at 6 months old and loves his food! If you need to know anything else, just ask me!--Kimberly Mayo, kimberly.mayo@knology.net

MY TWO-YEAR-OLD Vos is the absolute joy of my life! She is fresh and loving, a personality that is awesome. I am so crazy about her. I'm in the process of purchasing another, a male this time, also a Vos. He is now eight weeks old and is a wonderful, happy, sociable little guy. I also am owned by an umbrella 'too, and while I love her with all my heart, the ekkies are the best. --Pat Alexander, pla0705@snet.net

I GOT TUKI, my beautiful female Vos, when she was a featherless little creature and handfed her until she grew into a breathtaking bundle of red and purple. She is now 12 years old, and at age 6 began pulling feathers and down. It started all at once, no sign or warning. I uncovered her one morning, and found the cage bottom covered with fluffy grey under feathers. We have tried everything...vitamins, toys, TV, paper, pinecones and other shreddables. She eats, talks, cuddles, loves us - and plucks. The vet says she is sexually frustrated; I worry more that she isn't happy being caged. We work, are in and out of the house several times a day, handle her, talk to her, keep her clean, bathed and loved. If we leave her large, airy cage open, she climbs down and follows us around the house. She gets fresh food, cooked food and pellets, no seed. HELP...does anyone have a solution? She is never completely bald except under her wings and in spots around the neck and chest. I want her to be happy and again beautiful! --Anne Sadovsky, sadovskysitzmanhm@hotmail.com

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