Tanimbar Eclectus Parrot Eclectus riedeli (prev. E. roratus riedeli)

The Tanimbar Island or Riedel's species of Eclectus is the smallest of the Eclectus species. It is classified as vulnerable. The green male does not show red flanks at rest. He has a bluish tinge to his green face, gold-orange irises, blue "shoulders", a green tail (no blue) and a broad yellow tip to the tail.

The female Tanimbar/Riedel's Eclectus also has a bright yellow tail tip, has dark blue wingtips and a wholly red body without the purple pinafore (nape and front) seen on the Moluccan and Papuan. (The other yellow-tipped tail - Vosmaer's Moluccan - has a purple front).

Unusually for parrots, the male and female Eclectus look totally different; people used to think that they were different species. Moreover, unusually for birds, females are more colourful than males. Males need camouflage to forage while females need to be seen in their nesting holes by mates and rivals. Until 2019, the Eclectus was grouped as one species and there were considered nine living subspecies in different regions. In 2019, these were reclassified into four living species (and one extinct), fully accepted by main authorities in 2023.