The Parrot

The Parrot is one of the figural geoglyphs etched into the Nazca Desert plains of southern Peru, located within the broader UNESCO World Heritage Nazca Lines site. Like the other animal and bird figures, it was created by removing the dark surface stones to reveal the lighter ground beneath, and is best seen from an elevated viewpoint or aircraft.

The Parrot and other Nazca figural geoglyphs are very difficult to appreciate from ground level because of their large scale and the flatness of the desert terrain. Most visitors view them from small aircraft operating out of Nazca's María Reiche Neuman Airport, though some viewing towers along the Pan-American Highway offer limited elevated sightlines of nearby figures.

The Nazca Lines geoglyphs, including the Parrot, are generally dated to between approximately 100 BCE and 800 CE, created by the Nazca culture. Researchers have used radiocarbon dating of associated organic materials and analysis of pottery styles to establish this timeframe.

The Nazca Lines include numerous animal and bird figures besides the Parrot, among them the famous Hummingbird, the Condor, the Spider, the Monkey, and the Killer Whale. These figural geoglyphs are distributed across the desert plateau and are typically visited together during aerial tours departing from Nazca.