A macaw’s beak can crack the hardest nut and even crush your finger. Its flexible and scaly tongue contains a bone. Palm nuts are among the toughest nuts but some macaws feed specifically on them. These birds have found the perfect way to enjoy their nuts without too much beak gnashing. They search through pasture land, looking for palm nuts that have been eaten by cattle and passed out with the tough outer shells removed. Make no mistake – macaws are very smart!

To ensure germination, many seeds and unripe fruits contain toxins to keep animals at bay, What’s a seed- and fruit-eating macaw to do? Well, it could eat some dirt! Rich sediment is carried down the Andes by the Amazon river and deposited on its banks. Macaws feast on the mineral-rich clay exposed when the water level goes down. Besides providing much-needed salt, the clay helps the macaws to neutralise the toxins from the seeds and unripe fruit they eat.