sticky subspecies thread

[Parrotlover418]

I was recently in a discussion in a discussion about subspecies on this forum, and I was thinking that it would be useful to have a sticky subspecies thread on here. A lot of other ekkie forums have sticky subspecies threads. I've tried to make some illustrations showing the different subspecies and how to ID them.

Notes:
Only the most common subspecies are pictured. The following rare subspecies are not pictured:
Aru island: like RS but larger, slimmer, and longer tailed. Male has an even wider tail band.
Australian: like RS but larger
Baiki: like RS but smaller
Cornelia: Male like vos but with bluer tail, female all red except for blue primaries
Tanimbar Islands: Small, male bluish tinted on head, female like Cornelia, but both sexes have a yellow tail band like the vos female

Size can be one of the most visible subspecies indicators.

Female vosmaeri ekkies show some individual variation in their red heads and purple feathers, so their most defining feature is the yellow tail band and undertail coverts. (UGH I don't like vosmaeris. They're so flashy they make all the NICER, LESS AGRESSIVE subspecies look dull. Vos are undeserving show offs!)

Solomon island ekkies are supposedly lighter/brighter red than Red Sides, but I'm not sure that's true because photos like this show they're the same:

 

[chris-md]

You clearly put a lot of thought into this, thank you.

However there is some misinformation here. Best example is that size does not make the best differentiation between subspecies. It can help separate the larger sub species (VOS, RS) from the smaller sub species ( Grand, SI). And that's only 1/3 of all subspecies out there.

Weight can also play into this as well. Solomons Island are often mid 300 g, where as something like a red sided can be 450 to 520 g.

My red sided has lighter amber eyes, not the dark you show here. Additionally to tell a red sided from a Vos you need to look at the primary feathers. Nothing else will really help.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Thank you for the suggestion.

There are mores subspecies of Ekkis than those rendered in your pretty drawing. Sure, they're not all available in the US, but there ARE more, nonetheless. Since we have members from all over the world, all subspecies would have to be included in a 'potential' sticky.

I've provided links to some fantastic sites before covering the subspecies, let's see if I can dig those up again:
subspeciesID
Identification of Subspecies - Eclectus-Parrots.com

And again, unless an Eclectus is purchased from a reputable breeder who knows exactly what he's pairing up, a photo or a drawing can't be a 'definite' answer as to what ekki one may be looking at.

 

[Anansi]

Thank you for the work put into your diagrams. Very nice.

Let me give you a peek at the process behind creating stickies on this forum.

The mods read through a thread and determine that it is particularly informative and accurate, and then vote on said thread on that basis.

Usually such threads will share certain characteristics such as having more of an informative base than an emotional one, featuring largely impartial observations and being backed up by either significant experience or thorough research. (Of course there are exceptions, like stickies with more playful or humorous content that were not able for member reaction.)

But once one of these threads catches our eye, it is scrutinized and then we (the mods) vote on it. After all, sticky status means that we mods believe the post of the OP to be both informative and accurate to the best of our knowledge.

This all happens behind the scenes and off the open forum.

If a particular thread is going to be made into a sticky, the OP is notified and then the thread is... "stickerized". Stickied? Stuck? Ah, you get the idea.

Anyhow, there would need to be more info on sub-species differentiation and, as Wendy and Chris pointed out, more sub-species included in the post before a certain thread would be considered ready to become a sticky.

Oh, and of course the complications in identification that arise once you factor hybrids into the mix would have to be acknowledged as well.

I mention all of this because I think there is merit to your idea of there being a sticky in this forum for ekkie sub-species identification. And for anyone, yourself of course included, who would want to write a post on this topic that could potentially become a sticky... now you have a rough idea of the criteria and the process.