These tropical birds eat the soil from the side of the river for the minerals it contains. Each morning at daybreak a flock of parrots descend on the lick and cling to the rock, breaking off bits with their beaks and chewing it down. A little later in the morning brightly colored Macaws begin to appear on the scene and gather in numbers in the treetops. When the macaws are ample in number they signal their presence to the parrots and swoop down to the lick scaring off their smaller cousins and taking their turn at the rock and minerals.

This spectacle of nature is currently in danger as the birds are being hunted by local indians for their feathers. You are probably thinking: The feathers must be used in local rituals. Nope! They're used to adorn hand-carved bows and arrows that are sold to the wandering tourists. So help boycott the slaughter, say no to tacky tourist trinkets!!!

Photo copyright Andre Bartschi and Cornelia Meier of Neotropic Wildlife.
My camera broke mid-trip folks so I had to rely on this postcard to capture the moment!!