IT MAY BE THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND largest and most biodiverse ecosystem, but it can be surprisingly difficult to see much in the Amazon. The majority of species are placed firmly in the ‘shy and secretive’ category, and even spotting birds is tricky, given the dense nature of the forest foliage. However, if you like your fauna to put on a show, worry not. Select sites along the western reaches of the Amazon basin host a dazzling phenomenon that is the ornithological equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel.
Did you know?
Macaws feed large amounts of clay, through regurgitation, to their chicks. The youngsters need the sodium in the clay for the development of bone, muscle and nervous and circulatory systems.
Described by researcher Elizabeth Hobson as "a crazy, screaming kaleidoscope of colour," the spectacle of scarlet macaws and other parrot species breaking cover and descending en masse to feed along eroded, clay-rich cliffs and riverbanks (known as 'clay licks' or collpas), presents the opportunity to boost your bird list while revelling in some fascinating behaviour.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 2025 من BBC Wildlife.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 2025 من BBC Wildlife.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
SNAP-CHAT
Justin Gilligan on giant spider crabs and holding hands with an octopus
STEPPE CHANGE
Herds of saiga have returned to Kazakhstan, but there's a fine balance to tread
TREES FOR LIFE
Community is at the heart of conservation in the tropical forests of southern Belize
WHEN DOVES CRY
Turtle doves are now the UK's fastest declining bird species, but the RSPB is on a mission to save them
SURVIVAL OF THE CUTEST
We can't help being drawn to cute creatures, but our aesthetic preferences both help and hinder conservation
LIGHT ON THE NORTH
Spectacular images of Arctic foxes, reindeer and musk oxen reveal the wild beauty and diversity of Scandinavia
ROLLING IN THE DEEP
The super-sized crustacean that lives in the deepest, darkest ocean
LET'S GET TOGETHER
Clay licks deep in the Amazon explode in a riot of colour, with macaws the stars of the show
FEMALE OF THE SPECIES
To sponge or not to sponge? That is the question for the bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) living in Shark Bay, Western Australia.
7 nature encounters for the month ahead
WITH NATURALIST AND AUTHOR BEN HOARE
