sábado, 21 de diciembre de 2013

Manu Blanquillo Clay Lick Tours with Manu Jungle Trips

Nature Peru – Blanquillo 7 days / 6 nights


An explosion of color and sound erupts as a large group of Red-and-Green and Scarlet Macaws (Ara chloroptera and Ara macaw) take to the air from a clay lick along a remote river in Manu National Park. While clustered along the river- bank busily ingesting clay, the macaws are especially vulnerable to predators. Because of their sheer numbers, however, usually at least one alert bird will spot an approaching ocelot, tayra (a large, tropical weasel), or eagle and sound the alarm. As soon as the alarm is heard, the macaws and other parrots literally explode away from the clay bank, shrieking in unison and taking to the air. Once the danger has passed, the birds gather again in the nearby trees, and then slowly begin another cautious descent to the clay.




Amazon Jungle – Blanquillo - 6 days /5 nights


A pair of nesting Blue-and-Yellow Macaws (Ara ararauna) perch upon a dead palm tree along the Manu River. The actual nest lies within the empty cavity of the palm, about 3 feet below the mated pair. Nesting sites for macaws are scarce and consequently held at a premium: Macaws will fight over sites and have even been seen to pull a competing macaw’s chicks from their nest, which they then take over. Macaws lay 1 to 3 eggs in November and these hatch in December, during the rainy season. The parents take turns feeding their young regurgitated fruits, seeds, and even clay from nearby clay licks. After 3 months, once fledged, the young macaws travel for a period of time with their parents, learning such complex information as the location of clay licks and the types and locations of fruits that they can eat. Living for as long as 40-60 years in captivity, they have not been studied long enough to know how many years they live in the wild. In any case, macaws do not begin breeding until they are at least 4 years old.

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