Archaeology: Live parrots transported across the Andes in ancient Peru (Nature Communications)
11 March 2026
Live parrots were transported over the Andes for their feathers in ancient Peru, according to research published in Nature Communications. Analysis of still-colourful feathers found in a Ychsma-era tomb from between 1,000 and 500 years ago suggests a complex and widespread economy that predates the Incan empire.
It has long been established that the colourful feathers of Amazonian parrots were highly valued by ancient cultures across the Americas, including as markers of status. However, specific details of the trade networks used to move products across the Andes to Peru is not fully understood.
George Olah, Pere Bover, Izumi Shimada, and colleagues sampled feathers found in a high-status Ychsman tomb in Pachacamac on the Peruvian coast, dating to 1000–1470 CE. The feathers form part of ceremonial headdresses and retain their bright blue and green colouration today. The authors analysed ancient DNA and stable isotope signatures (to give an indication of diet) from the feathers and compared these to samples from living parrots. Analysis of the feathers identified four species of large parrot: the scarlet macaw (Ara macao), red-and-green macaw (Ara chloropterus), blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna), and mealy amazon (Amazona farinosa). All of these species are native to lowland tropical forests on the eastern side of the Andes. The authors also found evidence of some local birds, including a single white feather from a Sabine’s gull (Xema sabini), a seabird from the Peruvian coast.
The high levels of genetic diversity within the samples suggests that these parrots were hatched in the wild. However, the isotopic data indicate that these parrots were eating a coastal diet before they died, suggesting an extended period of captivity on the coast. The authors propose that the parrots were captured from the Amazon rainforest and brought hundreds of kilometres over the Andes mountains while still alive. Using these data in a spatial model, the authors map potential routes the parrots may have been taken across the mountain range, which include a northern route (connecting the Yschma to societies on the north coast) and a more direct central route (stretching eastwards across the Andes).
These findings suggest both a complex economy and long-distance trade in the Ychsma culture that predates the Incan empire.
- Article
- Open access
- Published: 10 March 2026
Olah, G., Bover, P., Llamas, B. et al. Ancient DNA and spatial modeling reveal a pre-Inca trans-Andean parrot trade. Nat Commun 17, 2117 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69167-9
Research Highlight: Live parrots were carried across the Andes before the Incas’ rise
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00765-9
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