The Nazca Parrot Geoglyph: A Bird on the Desert Floor
AURYN Editorial
The "parrot" is one of the bird figures drawn on the Nazca desert of southern Peru. Like the hummingbird, the condor and the other birds of the pampa, it was made by clearing dark stones from the desert surface, and it is best seen from the air or from the surrounding hills.
Birds on the pampa
Birds are among the most common animal figures at Nazca. Parrots and macaws lived in the forests east of the Andes, and their feathers were prized trade goods in the ancient Andes, so a parrot on the coastal desert may reflect long-distance contact as well as admiration for the bird.
What did it mean?
As with the other Nazca figures, no text explains the parrot. The 2024 survey led by Yamagata University suggested that the large animal figures, set along the network of lines, were used in community rituals. Claims that the parrot was specifically a messenger between worlds are modern interpretations.
The parrot in jewellery
A Nazca parrot design carries a bird drawn on the desert two thousand years ago. See the AURYN Nazca parrot design on its product page, or read our guide to the Nazca Lines for how the figures were made.
