Ancient DNA And Spatial Modeling Reveal Pre-Inca Trans-Andean Parrot Trade
Parrots captured in the Amazon rainforest by pre-Inca people were transported hundreds of miles over the Andes to arid coastal areas where they were kept for their colorful feathers.
The scarlet macaw, Ara macao, is a large red, yellow, and blue South American parrot, a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots called macaws. It is native to humid evergreen forests of tropical South America. (Credit: Jabid Ishtiaque / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
People have always loved parrots, as evidenced by the lengths they go to in order to obtain and keep them. A recent study highlights this human trait after a number of brightly-colored feathers were excavated from several ancient tombs on coastal Peru — tombs that pre-date the Inca Empire. Surprisingly, these colorful feathers came from several parrot species, none of which live anywhere near the coast. How did these feathers end up in these tombs? Were the feathers gathered in the rainforest, as some researchers proposed, or were live parrots captured in the Amazon Rainforest and moved over the Andes to the coast?
