The Republic of Indonesia spans Southeast Asia and the Oceania region. It is comprised of 17,000 islands and is the world’s fourth most populous country. While some areas are densely populated, it has an archipelagic geography with vast areas of wilderness and an enormous amount of biodiversity. The climate is considered tropical rainforest, which makes it home to many types of parrots, including eight cockatoo species, lories and lorikeets, ringnecks, the unusual Pesquet parrot, and our focus in this post: the Moluccan Eclectus of Seram Island.

Eclectus are the most sexually dimorphic parrot species. The males are a brilliant green, and the females are a deep red and purple. Males are constant foragers, and their bright green color helps provide forest camouflage. Females protect their nest cavities for most of the year, while they raise their offspring. Their radiant colors signal to other females that this valuable nest is occupied – no vacancy! A female’s colors are also a beacon to males that they are available for mating, but they are known to be choosy about their partners. Eclectus parrots are considered polyandrous.

Moluccan Eclectus Dwindling Numbers

There are five species of the Eclectus genus, one of which is already extinct. Manusela National Park on Seram Island in the province of Maluku is an important habitat for the Moluccan Eclectus. However, there is a very high confiscation rate, which is significantly and severely impacting the remaining population and it’s essential genetic diversity.

Perkumpulan Konservasi Kakatua Indonesia (KKI) is an organization that monitors the Eclectus in the Manusela National Park by conducting surveys and regular population counts. Based on six survey locations, KKI only counted 17 individuals between 2020 and 2023. The Moluccan Eclectus has already become extinct in some prior areas of distribution, such as Haruku Island and Saparua Island. Snares can still be found near nesting sites, so helping the community understand why it’s important to protect this species is very high on the KKI’s agenda to build a spirit of protection for the native Eclectus.

Indonesian parrots are technically protected by law since so many are considered endangered or threatened according to the IUCN Red List, but these laws are poorly enforced, unfortunately. According to conservation activists from KKI, Dudi Nandika and Dwi Agustina, “Massive exploitation of all parrots have resulted in a sharp decline of their population. Many wild birds are captured and die in the process of transportation or smuggling because of the limited awareness of animal welfare.”

In the last five years, 31 Eclectus were confiscated from poachers and trappers and sent to rescue centers in Maluku and North Sulawesi. A review of online illegal trading sites has identified 12 accounts, so trapping and trading are obviously still widespread and promoted through the internet. Smuggling routes from Maluku have also been identified, with the main destination being the Philippines and Singapore. The illegal world parrot trade is generally exported through these two countries. The continued decline in wild parrot populations, as an apparent result of high demand in the wildlife market, may ultimately lead to the extinction of even more species on Seram Island (including the Moluccan cockatoo!) in the near future.

The large number of species endangered or threatened with extinction is often related to the socio-economic conditions of an area and a lack of public awareness of why it is important to protect animals in their natural habitats. Therefore, increasing conservation awareness and helping communities understand the importance of biodiversity is the first step of most conservation actions. This month’s Lafeber donation goes to support Indonesian Eclectus parrots because their need for help is urgent!