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A lone Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) ventures down to the rainforest floor to take a sip of mineral mud at a clay lick. This is a common phenomenon with the larger parrots of the region and was often believed to be due to the fact that the birds ingest the clay to help neutralize toxins in the fruits that they consume. More recent observations suggest that they may simply be obtaining salt – a mineral that is in particularly scarce supply in the western Amazon Basin. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.

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© Chien C. Lee
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Birds, Central & South America
A lone Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) ventures down to the rainforest floor to take a sip of mineral mud at a clay lick. This is a common phenomenon with the larger parrots of the region and was often believed to be due to the fact that the birds ingest the clay to help neutralize toxins in the fruits that they consume. More recent observations suggest that they may simply be obtaining salt – a mineral that is in particularly scarce supply in the western Amazon Basin. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.