The Ecletus parrot might be more aptly called the electric parrot because of its eye-popping colors. The sexes are a snap to tell apart: Males have almost-fluorescent green feathers, topped off by deep-blue shoulders, a blackish-green tail, red under the wings, and a candy-corn orange upper mandible tipped with yellow. Eclectus females boast a scarlet head, a maroon back and a jet-black beak, with some subspecies sporting bright blue lower bellies. Unlike most parrots, which perch on extended family trees, the eclectus belongs to only one genus, Eclectus roratus, split into 10 subspecies differentiated mostly by size and accent feathers in blue and yellow. Experts recommend feeding the eclectus extra fiber for health because of the bird's unusually long digestive tract. The most popular pets include the Solomon Island (Eclectus roratus solomonensis), grand (Eclectus roratus roratus), vosmaeri (Eclectus roratus vosmaeri) and red-sided (Eclectus roratus polychloros). 

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

Size: Medium, 13-16 inches long and up Moderate to excellent, some say equal to the African grey's.

Average lifespan: 30-50 years.