North America’s First Parrot Breeders Got Started Earlier Than We Knew
<p>Astudy that I previously shared with you indicated that Indigenous people started breeding parrots in captivity more than 1000 years ago (more <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2018/08/13/have-we-found-the-first-parrot-breeders-in-north-america/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>). That study found evidence that macaws lived in Chaco Canyon in New Mexico — far north of the species’ historical Neotropical ranges in the rainforests of Central America. But now a new study has found that Indigenous people were breeding scarlet macaws, <em>Ara macao</em>, in captivity even earlier than we first realized — as early as the 1100s. This is according to a detailed examination of eggshells found at the Mimbres archaeological site of Old Town in Southwestern New Mexico (Figure 1).</p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/gardening-birding-and-outdoor-adventure/north-americas-first-parrot-breeders-got-started-earlier-than-we-knew-ce6ce6b6f258"><strong>Read More</strong></a></p>