Macaw Clay Licks of the Peruvian Amazon
SouthWild CEO, Charles Munn, conducted 12 years of research on the biology of riverbank macaw clay licks in the Peruvian, Bolivian, and Ecuadorian Amazon. He found that there are more than 100 of them, almost all in Peru.
They vary enormously in terms of height, length, seasonality, and in the number and species of macaw and parrot species that visit.
There may be no other wildlife spectacle in the world that can rival a large macaw lick for the full, immersive, “sense-around” experience of cacophonous sound and blazing color.
There are spectacular macaw licks found in specific spots among most of the wildest rivers of the Peruvian Amazon, most notably the Manu, Madre de Dios, Tambopata, Rio de las Piedras, Rio de los Amigos, Heath, and the Lower Urubamba. Surprisingly, neither Brazil, nor Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, or Venezuela appear to have any major macaw clay licks.
To visit the Peruvian Amazon and not include a large macaw lick is like taking a trip to Paris but not visiting the Eiffel Tower.
Contact us to receive a PDF of Charles Munn’s 25-page January 1994 National Geographic very colorful cover story about macaws in the Peru Amazon. Furthermore, before you plan a trip to Peru, speak with us about options to enjoy spectacular macaw licks done right!
