Why do macaws eat organic clay?

Many of the things macaws and other South American parrots eat have low levels of toxins in them. It is thought that the clay binds to the toxins in their crops, or neutralizes the toxins, so the toxins pass harmlessly out of their system without being digested. read more

Donald Brightsmith, who directs the Tambopata Macaw Project in the lowlands of southeastern Peru, points out that parrots in other regions around the globe consume foods that contain toxins, including those with tannins, and yet it’s only those in the western Amazon basin who visit these clay banks, also called salt licks or clay licks. read more

Parrots at an exposed cliff in Peru, where they gather to eat clay, which is richer in sodium than plants in the area. Frans Lemmens/Getty Images The parrots of Southeastern Peru crave an earthy delicacy: dirt. read more