Some river banks with exposed clay beds in the Amazon rainforest are a favorite destination for parrots to replenish sodium.
Red-green macaws eat clay in the Amazon rainforest. Image: Jorgeluizpsjr
Parrots in the Amazon rainforest have a special affinity for clay. They gather in large numbers on river banks to peck at the land, creating a brilliant spectacle that attracts thousands of onlookers. So why do they have this strange behavior?
One of the most widely accepted theories is that parrots lack sodium in their diet. Sodium is necessary for many body functions such as generating nerve impulses, maintaining electrolyte balance, heart activity and some metabolic functions. Many herbivores that have an entirely plant-based diet require added salt (which contains sodium) because the plants do not contain enough salt. Therefore, animals often obtain sodium from salt licks. Clay and soil are excellent sources of sodium and many other nutrients such as potassium and magnesium.
Another theory is that parrots eat clay to remove plant toxins from their bodies. When birds eat clay, the clay particles cling to natural toxins such as quinine and tannic acid, preventing them from being absorbed through the digestive tract.
However, according to research, it seems the sodium hypothesis is more accurate. The Tambopata Research Center (TRC), Peru, studied the clay-eating behavior of parrots in clay fields in Peru and found that the parts of the soil that the birds chose to eat had a higher ability to absorb toxins than the parts that did not. selected of clay yards. Instead, birds prefer soil with a higher sodium content.
At a clay field at a bend in the Manu River, researchers found that parrots enjoyed eating a layer of soil that ran hundreds of meters along this bend. They avoid eating the top and bottom layers of soil. This soil was found to have a much higher sodium content than the surrounding soil.
Parrots gather on a clay field in Tambopata National Reserve, Peru. Image: Salparadis
Donald Brightsmith, team leader of the Tambopata Macaw Project, points out that parrots outside the western Amazon also consume foods that contain toxins, such as amla seeds (A roaring roar). However, only those in the western Amazon region visit the clay beds. This shows that parrots can tolerate a little toxin in the stomach without needing to eat clay to detoxify.
Instead, Brightsmith suggests that there is a link between this clay-eating habit and the fact that the western Amazon region is particularly lacking in salt. Research by Alan Lee, an expert at Manchester Metropolitan University, and his colleagues also supports this result. According to the study, parrots’ clay consumption was significantly related to distance from the sea, suggesting that nutrient deficiencies rather than food toxins are the main driver of this behavior.
There are dozens of sites where parrots congregate to eat clay in Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Ecuador in the Amazon rainforest, but the most popular and accessible places are in the Tambopata national reserve, southeastern Peru. Some other famous spots where people can watch this unique scene are the Blanquillo clay fields in Manu National Park, Peru and Yasuni National Park, Ecuador.