Clay Licks

Red and green macaws gather to eat cay

One of the best places to observe macaws, parrots and parrokeets is at clay licks. These are exposed banks of earth in the forest where the birds gather to eat clay which helps neutralize toxins in their diet.

One orange-cheeked parrot with a mixed flock of mealy parrots and blue-headed parrots

Being social creatures, the birds like to spend time hanging out squawking together in the trees before descending to eat clay.

A scarlet macaw comes in to land. The primary feathers are red on one side and blue on the other!

The flock takes flight at the signal of a sentinel macaw keeping watch from above

The macaws are very skittish about descending to the clay lick from the trees as they are the vulnerable to predation by cats. Even large birds soaring overhead will instantly send them flying.

Once these beautiful birds have had their fill of clay, they disperse to their individual territories. It was a real privilege to see them gathered together for the morning and a highlight of our journey through the Amazon basin.