| "When the morning sun clears the Amazon tree | | | | themselves to highly toxic substances. The birds |
| line in southeastern Peru and strikes a gray-pink | | | | come to the "colpas" to obtain hard-to-find |
| clay bank on the upper Tambopata River, one of | | | | minerals, present in high concentrations in the lick's |
| the world's most dazzling wildlife spectacles is | | | | soil. They eat the clay to protect themselves and |
| nearing its riotous peak." -- Franz Lanting, Macaws: | | | | neutralize the effects of these toxins |
| Winged Rainbows, National Geographic, January, | | | | The macaw clay lick, the largest "colpa", is a huge |
| 1994 | | | | 50-meter tall cliff of reddish clay that extends |
| Tambopata National Reserve. A 3.7 million acre | | | | about 500 meters along the Tambopata River. |
| reserve in the southeastern Peruvian Amazon and | | | | Here, at dawn, a brilliant array of color descends |
| the gateway to one of the world's most remote | | | | upon the lick. One by one, the birds begin flocking |
| and extraordinary Amazon rainforest | | | | to the clay. As the morning progresses, they |
| environments, is home to over 1300 species of | | | | arrive in colorful waves to eat thumb-sized lumps |
| birds, including 32 kinds of parrots. | | | | of the clay. The spectacle of colors during the |
| One of the most fascinating phenomena here is | | | | feast is dazzling - Blue and Gold Macaws, Mealy |
| the daily flocking of birds, especially parrots and | | | | Parrots, Scarlet Macaws, Dusky-headed Conures, |
| macaws, to clay licks. Clay licks, or "colpas", as | | | | Blue-headed Pionus are just a few of the kinds of |
| they are referred to locally, are special deposits | | | | birds streaming in from all directions. At first, the |
| of clay along the Tambopata riverbanks and deep | | | | birds congregate in the crowns of trees |
| in the Amazon rainforest interior where birds and | | | | surrounding the licks. They spend hours at a time |
| other wildlife come to eat soil. | | | | screeching, squabbling and purring at each other |
| Why should hundreds of birds eat soil from these | | | | before descending to eat the clay. Once they |
| special sites? The birds, especially the parrots, | | | | descend on to the lick, they concentrate on |
| have a curious habit - they dexterously pluck fruit | | | | finding choice spots from which to feast on the |
| off trees, tear it open, discard the fruit and eat | | | | clay. And whoosh - they are gone leaving a |
| the hard seeds at the center. By eating the seeds | | | | pageant of color and sound at the first sign of |
| from hundreds of plants, they are exposing | | | | danger. |