Abstract
I have heard that good things come in small packages and
this is especially true of the Biaki Eclectus Eclectus roratus biaki. One of the smaller subspecies ofEclectus, they are like perfect jewels. They are much more animated than the larger Vosmaeri. They move quickly and remind me of monkeys swinging from branches, toys or the top of their cage. The minute the door is open, there they are, scrambling to get out and say hello. Very similar in actions to lories, Biakis have a wiry kind of electricity to their personalities.
The Biaki male has a darker green feather coloration, closer to that of the Red-sided, with an emerald green hue. His beak is a deep, rich red-orange color, appearing a bit large for his head. The feathers themselves appear to have a slight barred effect, like fish scales. He is very slim, with a compact body, a rather longish neck and a small tip of yellow on his tail.
The female Biaki reminds me of the richest, sweetest, darkest piece of chocolate in the box. She also resembles the Red-sided in many ways. The main difference is that her back and wing tops are a velvety maroon red, with a transition to a deep, bright red on her head and down her bib. Her
breast and lower belly portions are a brilliant royal blue with a hint of purple. The Biaki hen has a beautiful eye ring of small royal blue feathers that completely encircle the eye. Her shiny black beak appears slightly smaller in proportion to her head. Her feathers are held very tightly to the body in comparison to many of the larger subspecies. Her tail is a lighter reddish orange underneath, somewhat the color of a tequila sunrise with too much grenadine.
As to how these wonderful pieces of colored animation arrived in the United States, there are several different versions. They come from Biak, a
very small island in the Geelvink Bay off west Irian (New Guinea). In 1991, a Christian missionary brought 15 Eclectus Parrots into the U.S., most of which were Biaki with a few Red-sided included. These birds were imported legitimately as the missionary had proper permission to bring them in for resale. One mixed pair, a Biaki hen and a Red-sided male, was sold to a pet store in Arcadia, California and never heard of again. Two pairs of these Eclectus went to a jobber in southern California who thought they were Red-sided and Solomon Island Eclectus. He soon realized that he had something much rarer and promptly hiked the price up to $4000. A pair was sold to a woman who cannot be found, as the jobber refuses to divulge her name. Currently, there are two producing pairs in California.
I purchased my pair of Biakis from a most gracious breeder in Santa Barbara, California who advertised them in Eclectus World newsletter. It is through networking of this type that we do our best work. The Biaki gene pool is so limited that we need help finding unrelated bloodlines. If any of you have or even think you might have a Biaki, male or female, please contact Laurella Desborough (510) 372-6174 or me, Susie Christian, at (805) 772-2038.
Every link is of great importance in this chain of Biaki breeders.Your help in locating these beautiful Eclectus would be greatly appreciated. Besides, there is nothing Desborough or I would rather discuss than Eclectus.