PREHISTORIC EXPLOITATION OF BIRDS ON THE PACIFIC COAST OF CHIAPAS, MEXICO

Abstract

Abstract We report bones of 60 species of birds from the Paso de la Amada archaeological site (ca. 3600 to 3150 years old) in the Soconusco region of Chiapas, Mexico. Among 36 species of landbirds and 24 marine, estuarine, and aquatic species, four landbirds (Harpia harpyja, Ortalis vetula, Cyrtonyx ocellatus, and Ara militaris) have not been recorded previously from coastal Chiapas. Their nearest populations are characteristic of foothill or montane forest. The families of birds most commonly exploited at Paso de la Amada were Columbidae (pigeons, doves), Phasianidae (quail), Falconidae (caracaras), Ardeidae (herons), and Cracidae (chachalacas). Because of human interactions with birds and their habitats over the millennia, it is difficult or impossible to determine the precise species-level composition for any Neotropical bird community under conditions free of human influence. Prehistoric data thus improve our understanding of how these communities have changed over long time scales, whether or not the...