In the clay cliffs of southeastern Peru, it is estimated that up to 18 species of parrots come to eat… the soil every day. Why do they have this habit?

Two theories about parrots eating clay are to detoxify or provide additional nutrients

Previously, researchers believed that ingredients in clay had the ability to help birds avoid poisoning in the wild. Thanks to that, when food sources are scarce, birds can digest fruits containing moderate levels of toxins.

Some laboratory-level studies show that clay can bind to some toxic elements and prevent them from entering the circulatory system, keeping parrots safe.

The second hypothesis is that clay helps supplement some essential minerals that a plant-based diet does not provide.

For parrots in the Amazon, sodium is considered an essential substance for the functioning of the nervous system as well as muscle contraction. Sodium supplies in tropical rain forests are often difficult to find, but are stored in abundance in clay tablets.

It is estimated that Amazonian clay soils contain 40 times more sodium than the foods parrots typically consume.

Between the two hypotheses above, which hypothesis is correct? To find the answer, biologist Donald Brighsmith – Texas A&M University (USA) – conducted a 16-year project observing parrot flocks in the Amazon forest to study the clay eating habits of parrots. parrots.

According to NPR, after more than 20,000 hours of long-term observation and data recording between diet and body mass index, Brighsmith’s research team concluded that the evidence that parrots eat clay to detoxify is still lacking. convince.

Instead, there is a closer relationship between diet and certain mineral deficiencies in parrots.

In particular, Elizabeth Hobson – a behavioral ecologist at the Santa Fe Institute (USA), co-author of the study – said that most female birds eat clay the most during pregnancy. This is to provide additional nutrients that are lacking during childbirth.

“Sodium is an essential substance that is often seriously lacking in the diet of Amazonian parrots, so they need to supplement it, especially during critical times such as pregnancy,” Hobson said.

According to Mrinalini Watsa, a biologist at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (USA) – the habit of “eating soil” also appears in many other animals, including elephants, bats, or chimpanzees.

Watsa explains that for higher animals, the habit of eating soil is often for the purpose of detoxification or digestive support rather than supplementing substances.

It is estimated that up to 18 species of parrots come to eat clay in southeastern Peru every day

Parrots are a typical species in South America

The image of parrots eating clay not only attracts the curiosity of scientists but also tourists