{"id":3751,"date":"2019-09-15T08:45:43","date_gmt":"2019-09-15T06:45:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/albicillaexplorer.com\/?p=3751"},"modified":"2019-09-15T09:31:36","modified_gmt":"2019-09-15T07:31:36","slug":"a-spetacular-sight-and-why-do-parrots-eat-clay-in-the-peruvian-rainforest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/albicillaexplorer.com\/en\/a-spetacular-sight-and-why-do-parrots-eat-clay-in-the-peruvian-rainforest\/","title":{"rendered":"A spectacular sight and why do parrots eat clay in the Peruvian Rainforest?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Alle fotos og video \u00a9 Bente Steffensen og Uffe Damm Andersen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do parrots eat clay?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Every morning, in the Amazon rainforest in Peru, you can experience one of nature’s impressive and exciting sights as flocks of macaws<\/em> and other parrots<\/em> gather at so-called clay licks<\/em> to eat clay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collpa<\/em> is the local name for a clay lick<\/em>. These clay licks<\/em>, are found along rivers in the Amazon in places where the river bank is exposed to vegetation – and then the place must be undisturbed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And why do the parrots eat clay? There are several\ntheories about it. The first and probably the most widely used theory so far is\nthat they eat clay to neutralize toxins they ingest through their food. Many of\nthe fruits, seeds and flowers that are part of the parrot’s diet contain toxins\n(biological toxins). They are natural toxins that plants use as protection. It\nis therefore believed that the parrots eat clay because the minerals help neutralize\nthe natural toxins in the food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another and more recent theory is that parrots eat clay to meet their sodium needs (see Food availability and breeding season as predictors of geophagy in Amazonian parrots<\/a>). The clay acts as a kind of dietary supplement as their food generally has a low sodium content. Especially during the breeding season when the birds are raising their young, there is a need for a sodium-containing vitamin pill<\/em>. The theory is based, among other things, on several years of observations showing that the parrots visit the places where the sodium content of the soil is the highest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Why
Why do parrots eat clay? Is it to neutralize toxins in their food – or is it a dietary supplement of sodium? Chuncho Clay Lick, Tambopata National Reserve, Peru.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It will require more research to determine which of the theories that are the correct explanation for why parrots eat clay. Maybe it’s a combination, but whatever the cause, it is a very impressive and fascinating experience to attend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more about the Tambopata Macaw Project<\/a>, a long-term research project on the ecology of macaws and other parrots and conservation in the lowlands of southeastern Peru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have to get there early <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As is often the case when birding, you have to get up early as it is important to be in place early. Not just to get a good seat – no we weren’t the only ones<\/em> – but most importantly to be in place before the parrots arrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The parrots are very sensitive to disturbances at the clay licks<\/em> as they have to go down to the ground to eat. On the ground they are more vulnerable to predators. Usually, they stay hidden high up in the protective trees, so being on the ground and at the river bank is definitely outside their comfort zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIt\nis therefore very important that it is calm. Even the slightest disturbance is\nlikely to frighten the parrots away \u2013 and thereby depriving them of getting\ntheir dose of the important clay.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hvorfor
The waiting before the show can be long for “ordinary” tourists. Chuncho Clay Lick, Tambopata National Reserve, Peru.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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