Dusky-Headed Parakeet

Description:

Dusky-headed parakeets (Aratinga weddellii) at a clay lick, Parque Nacional Yasuní. Somehow, over time, parakeets, parrots and macaws have discovered that ingesting clay neutralizes toxins in their systems that they inadvertently ingest by eating seeds and unripe fruits. Seeds are packed with nutrients, but plants evolved toxins in seeds to prevent animals from eating them. These birds are intelligent and have figured out a way to eat seeds and unripe fruits.

Habitat:

spotted at clay licks along the Rio Napo in the Amazon region of Ecuador