The clay lick, or Collpa, is a feeding site for parrots and macaws. The river bank contains sediments which are beneficial for the birds, and large numbers congregate daily to feed on the dry, hard clay. It is not entirely clear what purpose the clay serves, but it is thought that the minerals are especially useful for young birds and that the alkali compounds contained in the clays help to neutralise toxins that the birds ingest as part of their seed and plant diet. We are part of a Tambopata research group, looking at the reasons behind the collpa behaviour.

The Tambopata area is world famous for the displays the parrots and macaws put on almost daily, and we are very lucky and very proud to be able to offer you the chance to visit an active collpa frequented by hundreds of birds each day.

Typically the Macaw Collpa is visited in the morning as the birds usually feed soon after dawn although their behaviour is not always predictable and depends on the weather, the presence of predators and human activity. It is possible to see 2 species of macaw and up to 7 species of parrot feeding at the collpa,

You will be able to see:

• Red-green Macaw
• Blue-Yellow Macaw
• Scarlet Macaw
• Blue-headed Parrots
• Meal Parrots
• Orange-cheeked Parrot
• Yellow-crowned Parrot
• Cobalt-winged Parakeet
• Dusky-headed Parakeet

The YouTube clip below was filmed in the Tambopata region on a nearby stretch of the river at Tambopata Lodge. It shows quite nicely what you can expect to see though. In the words of the BBC

"See these exotic parrots as they live in the rainforest. Beautiful multicoloured macaws feed off the clay on the dried Amazonian river beds deep in the jungle."