Thousand Year Old Remains of Tamed Scarlet Macaw Found

[spiritbird]

Interesting story [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

[kendrafitz]

Very interesting!!

[Lady]

Interesting :thanks4sharingthumb

[spiritbird]

Its fascinating! My daughter is writing a book about the archeology of the southwest and she told me these Macaw skeletons were mostly young birds. Of course that makes one think about their diet and what these birds were fed. Mostly grain I bet as corn was a big thing with the ancient ones.

This information also raises more questions in my mind. Did the ancient ones breed these birds? We know they got some Macaw babies from their native habitat in Mexico and transported them further north. They also used them for trading purposes. Macaw sacrifices are believed to coincide with the springtime, specifically the spring equinox in March. This may be why the skeletons found were young.

[lolsavannahh]

Wow, very cool!

[Penny]

That is astounding.

[wingman]

That was great! Thanks!!!

[spiritbird]

The feathers were important to their religious beliefs. I only hope they used molted feathers. Archeology is fascinating. Especially when it comes to parrots.

[Mare]

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing that! My family and I have been to this amazing place, twice. I will now regard it as a SUPER special place!!

I just read this article to my son, Noah, and he thought that maybe early death might be due to an incorrect diet. He says.."Aren't these birds mostly fruit eaters in the wild?" Good point, Noah!

[spiritbird]

Could be the diet but the frequent mentions of "sacrifices" could also be the reason the Macaws did not get to old age. I am no sure the tribes that lived in the canyons and so forth had fresh fruit. Its something to research.

[Mare]

Sacrificing, makes more sense. I believe we know that birds can survive on poor diets.

[spiritbird]

Mare here is some more fascinating reading on the subject. Archeologist found eggs shells in the area leading them to believe there was breeding going on. Here is an exert from this reading:

"According to the archaeological evidence, macaws in the southwest did not live long and happy lives. Of the 30 macaw skeletons recovered in the mimbres valley, only one was older than the age of 10-14 months. Even if macaws were not being sacrificed at a young age, it is not believed that many macaws could live their natural lifespan due to a lack of proper nutrients and care (macaws can live well into their 80s). "

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[spiritbird]

Mare here is some more fascinating reading on the subject. Archeologist found eggs shells in the area leading them to believe there was breeding going on. Here is an exert from this

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A note on the Macaw feathers: Since these ancient birds were not able to eat their native foods and did not live much past 1 year of age the feather quality was poor. So in todays world there is a black market for Macaws just for feathers.

How You Can Help
The Macaw Feather Project, a side project of the group 'Cultural Survival', collects feathers from bird breeders, zoos, and personal pet owners and redistributes them to requesting Pueblo tribes. For more information about the Macaw Feather Project, see [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks] Your support will help protect the birds from illegal poachers and help the Pueblo people preserve their centuries old traditions.

[Mare]

Tim and I have old necklaces and Indian artifacts everywhere around our home, hard to keep track. This is an earring I found today hanging on a necklace. Don't ask me how long it's been there or where it came from but I do know it's old. My son thinks it's bone, I'm calling it shell. If I can get my photobucket to kick up the pic I took of the backside, I'll show that.

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[94lt1]

I'd like to add a negative side to this..you guys are aware that some South American tribes and even Southwest American tribes will take and imprison these large beautiful birds..in the dark and pluck their tail feathers for head dresses...I thought it was an old practice until I actually saw it on a reservation.... The authorities did nothing...I wish I could've done something...

Not to make everything doom and gloom..just something to think about .

[Mare]

I sure wasn't aware of this, Brandon! Gross! Humans, as a whole, are barbaric..and not just us, all of nature can be.

Here is the backside to the earring.

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[spiritbird]

Macaw feathers were more important than the birds. Gosh those birds really suffered.