Parrots Ecuador

The Amazon is the center of Ecuadorian wildlife where the tourist can enjoy the charm of Amazonian birds and the beauty of parrots among many other species.

The Ecuadorian territory has from tiny birds to the largest of the planet.

Birds have for generations inspired humans for the most varied artistic and scientific expressions: they are symbols of peace, harmony, joy and nobility.

In addition, these animals help to balance the planet as they are indicators of the state of conservation of ecosystems and part of the food chain.

They can be observed anywhere and there are 10,000 species, of which 1,616 are located in Ecuador, so that the country becomes the third with the most variety in the world and the first in density of these specimens per square kilometer, according to Information provided by 'Birds and Conservation'.

These colorful animals and singers are threatened by various human factors such as deforestation, hunting and illegal trade, as well as the introduction of exotic species.

It is necessary to raise awareness of the importance of taking care of them and avoiding that they are exposed to dangers.

LOROS, GUACAMAYOS Y PERICOS, their colorful and flashy colors, the ability to repeat words, especially if they are captured by young people (parrots); The ease of adaptation in captivity, the high prices paid for them in the foreign market, the indiscriminate felling of their forests and the persecution of local people as a source of protein, have determined that these birds are restricted to protection sites .

There are special trees, dead branches containing nutrients and this attracts a lot of parrots.

Many of the seeds and nuts found in the rainforest have toxins in them and animals come to clay licks to neutralize those toxins. This is a daily ritual for many birds in the Amazon.

Ecuador has two of the most accessible clay licks in the Amazon and both can be visited on the same day. The clay licks are in Yasuni National Park along the Napo River. Technically, the Napo Wildlife Center owns the land on which the clay licks are located but visitors from other lodges frequent them as well for an additional charge.

The first clay lick becomes active at around 7:00 in the morning on non-rainy days. It is located on the banks of the Napo River.

Five different species of parrots frequent this clay lick including the Dusky-headed Parakeet, White-eyed Parakeet, Blue-headed Parrot, Yellow-crowned Amazon Parrot, and the Mealy Amazon Parrot.

Once at the clay lick, visitors sit in a covered shelter about 75 yards from the clay lick and wait.

Because this clay lick is in the forest, the birds are very wary of predators and can take hours to get up the nerve to fly down to the ground.

The whole process is pretty fascinating because when you arrive at the lick, you can hear the birds high in the trees.

Then, over time, the sound gets louder and closer as they fly down lower a branch or two at a time. However, it is not until they are almost at ground level when you can finally see them and the sound intensifies.

This clay lick also has five species of regular visitors including the Cobalt-winged Parakeet, Orange-cheeked Parrot, Scarlet-shouldered Parrotlet, Scarlet Macaw and the Red and Green Macaw.