Studies show that ancient condors thrived on Peru’s northern coast before retreating to the highlands

In a recent study, Dr. Veronika Tomczyk and her colleagues conducted a zooarchaeological and isotopic study of ancient Andean condor bones from an archaeological site called Castelo de Herme, providing the first and earliest empirical evidence that these birds once inhabited the northern coastal areas of Peru, where they remain.

Andean Condor

The Andean condor (Vultor griffis) is the world’s largest avian obligate scavenger. In Peru, it has been an important part of pre-Columbian and modern culture and mythology.

Today, it is classified as a “Vulnerable” species on the IUCN Red List, due to widespread habitat loss, lead poisoning, poaching, and misappropriation during the traditional Rachai Condor and Yavar Festa celebrations.

However, there is limited historical evidence that indicates the bird’s historic habitat is most of the Peruvian Andes, particularly the northern coast.

In an effort to emphasize the relevance of archaeological anatomical studies to wildlife management, Dr. Tomczyk and his colleagues performed zooarchaeological and stable isotope analyzes on Andean condor bones recovered from the Castillo de Hormi, a pre-Hispanic administrative and artistic provincial center of the Peru Empire.

Published in work Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology.

Zooarchaeology and stable isotopes

A total of 64 Andean condor remains have been recovered from the “Rectos”, the cellular chambers from the “Red Tomb” at Castello de Hermi. The bones are estimated to belong to at least three Andean condors.

The bones were subjected to zoological analysis, revealing that the condor bones lacked cut marks or other ancient anthropogenic modifications, suggesting that the birds had been preserved.

Meanwhile, four bones were selected for isotopic analysis.

“Isotopic analysis is a biochemical method that can be applied to the archaeological investigation of various skeletal tissues, such as bird skeletons, such as the Andean condor in my study, bone collagen or feather keratin (if the feathers are preserved),” explained Dr. Tomczyk.

“Isotopic analyzes are well suited to complement traditional zooarchaeological studies, which reconstruct the circumstances of animal death, while isotopic investigations of various tissues provide glimpses of changes and continuities in animal life.

“In environmental settings of the western Andes, the most frequently examined isotopic element is carbon (Δ¹³c), nitrogen (Δ¹⁵n), oxygen (Δ¹⁸o), and strontium (⁸⁷sr/⁸⁶SR). Carbon and nitrogen isotopes are traditionally used to reconstruct past diets and trophic levels, oxygen isotopes reflect aquatic sources, and strontium isotopes reflect geological patterns. “

Coastal origin

The results revealed that all four condor bones analyzed had isotopic signatures consistent with a diet influenced by a coastal, marine environment.

One individual, P-202, had a more mixed diet. The researchers propose two possible scenarios to explain this diet. The first was that the condor was a dominant bird.

In ethological studies, it is known that dominant, large-bodied Andean condors usually outcompete other scavengers, which allows them to have a much wider range of food sources, leading to a more mixed diet.

Alternatively, the condor was held in captivity for a period before burial, where it was fed a more terrestrial diet, such as camel meat, which was the primary source of protein for the indigenous people.

A scenario where this condor was captive could also explain a rope tied around its leg.

The study provides the first and earliest empirical evidence that Andean condors lived on the coast of northern Peru, although environmental factors ultimately led to their migration into the highlands, Dr. Tomczyk explained.

“Broader environmental changes in Peruvian condor populations have not yet been well investigated, but research from Chile and Argentina alike suggests that these environmental factors were likely anthropogenic. Therefore, they would be related to habitat loss due to human development along the coast, rather than the areas along the coast where, instead, most Peruvians lived.

Implications for conservation

These findings provide archaeological evidence that establishes the coast of northern Peru as the historic habitat of the Andean condor. This evidence could be used to solidify support for their reintroduction, which could be facilitated through heritage education and ecotourism initiatives, which would integrate Peru’s archaeological legacy with wildlife conservation.

However, reintroduction would require greater public awareness as well as more research into heavy metal pollution, particularly around industrial ports, which would threaten the condor’s reintroduction.

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