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Seabird poop could have been used to fertilize Peru's Chincha Valley by at least 1250 CE, potentially facilitating the expansion of its pre-Inca society

02.11.26 | PLOS

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Seabirds shaped the expansion of pre-Inca society in Peru
The primary guano-producing bird species. (A)Sula variegata(Peruvian booby). (B)Pelecanus thagus(Peruvian pelican). (C)Leucocarbo bougainvilliorum(Guanay cormorant).Photos by Diego H. (A and C) and Claude Kolwelter (B), iNaturalist.org. Licensed under CC-BY 4.0. Cropped from originals. Credit: Bongers et al., 2026, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Seabird poop could have been used to fertilize Peru's Chincha Valley by at least 1250 CE, potentially facilitating the expansion of its pre-Inca society

Article URL : https://plos.io/4renTnm

Article title: Seabirds shaped the expansion of pre-Inca society in Peru

Author countries: Australia, U.S.

Funding: Funding for archaeological fieldwork and isotopic analyses of maize samples was provided to JLB by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (DGE-1144087), the Society of Fellows at Boston University, the Ford Foundation Fellowship Program, the National Geographic Young Explorers Grant Program (9347-13), and the Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid Research Program. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

PLOS One

10.1371/journal.pone.0341263

Seabirds shaped the expansion of pre-Inca society in Peru

11-Feb-2026

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Keywords

Animals Birds Social Sciences

Article Information

Journal
PLOS One
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0341263
Article Publication Date
2026-02-11
Article Title
Seabirds shaped the expansion of pre-Inca society in Peru
COI Statement
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Contact Information

Hanna Abdallah
PLOS
onepress@plos.org

How to Cite This Article

APA:
PLOS. (2026, February 11). Seabird poop could have been used to fertilize Peru's Chincha Valley by at least 1250 CE, potentially facilitating the expansion of its pre-Inca society. Brightsurf News. https://www.brightsurf.com/news/1EOWW5OL/seabird-poop-could-have-been-used-to-fertilize-perus-chincha-valley-by-at-least-1250-ce-potentially-facilitating-the-expansion-of-its-pre-inca-society.html
MLA:
"Seabird poop could have been used to fertilize Peru's Chincha Valley by at least 1250 CE, potentially facilitating the expansion of its pre-Inca society." Brightsurf News, Feb. 11 2026, https://www.brightsurf.com/news/1EOWW5OL/seabird-poop-could-have-been-used-to-fertilize-perus-chincha-valley-by-at-least-1250-ce-potentially-facilitating-the-expansion-of-its-pre-inca-society.html.