Precolumbian Transregional Captive Rearing of Amazonian Parrots in the Atacama Desert

We conducted a mutiproxy archaeometric study that included zooarchaeological analysis, carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic dietary reconstruction, AMS radiocarbon dating, and paleogenomic analysis. The results reveal that during the Late Intermediate Period (1150-1450 CE) people in this region acquired Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao) and at least five additional tropical parrot species through vast exchange networks that extended over 500 km towards the Amazonian tropical lowlands. The archaeogenomic component of our study was designed to examine phylogenetic relationships between the Atacama macaws, improve our taxonomic identifications based on morphological characters, and potentially reveal some of the management strategies involved in the capture and circulation of these birds.

本研究开展了一项多指标考古计量学研究，涵盖动物考古分析、碳氮稳定同位素饮食结构重建、加速器质谱（AMS）放射性碳定年以及古基因组分析。研究结果显示，在晚期中间期（公元1150-1450年），该区域的人群通过延伸至亚马孙热带低地、跨度超过500公里的大规模交换网络，获取了绯红金刚鹦鹉（Ara macao）以及至少另外5种热带鹦鹉物种。本研究的古基因组学分支旨在探究阿塔卡马金刚鹦鹉之间的系统发育关系，优化基于形态特征的分类鉴定工作，并有望揭示这类鸟类的捕获与流通所涉及的部分管理策略。