One early morning we visited a parrot lick on the Napo River in the Amazon rainforest of Eastern Ecuador. There were hundreds of parrots feasting on the mineral rich clay the parrots need to balance out toxins in their daily diet. We were able to sit in our boat about 75 yards from the birds and observe and take pictures. It was crazy.

There are several clay licks in the Amazon rainforest. The clay comes from deposits of soil and minerals washed down from the Andes Mountains and is an essential element of the diet of a variety of birds and mammals in the rainforest. The indigenous Kichwa tribe call these clay licks collpa. Kongo described another collpa in his previous post that was visited by magnificent scarlet macaws.

Kongo was part of a Fancy Girl/Street Boy photography expedition with Joe McNally to the Amazon. Each day the small group of avid photographers headed out for various trips in the rainforest, sixty miles from the nearest town on the Napo River. During our five days in the jungle, we stayed at the La Selva Eco Lodge.

Clay lilacs are frequented by parrots almost every morning. Yasuní National Park is home to some of the most accessible clays in the entire Amazon, including the one Kongo visited called Loro Saladero, located along the banks of the Napo River.

Yasuní National Park is arguably the most biologically diverse spot on Earth and a convergence point for three unique regions, the Equator, Andes Mountains, and the Amazon rainforest. The park is at the center of a small zone where amphibian, bird, mammal, and plant diversity all reach their maximum levels within the western hemisphere.

Follow Kongo to read about more adventures in the jungle.

Travel safe. Have fun!