Pre-Columbian chickens of the Americas: a critical review of the hypotheses and evidence for their origins

Abstract

The publications by Storey et al. (2007, 2008a, 2008b) describing the discovery and radiocarbon dating of pre-Columbian chicken remains from the archaeological site of El Arenal-1 in south central Chile reinvigorated longstanding debates about the presence of prehistoric domestic chickens in the Americas. Some have questioned the validity of the link between prehistoric Polynesian voyagers and the pre-Columbian chickens of El Arenal-1, requesting more details to verify the dates and the likely origin of the introduction. In this paper we provide an expanded account regarding the dating of the chicken remains from the site of El Arenal-1 in order to reaffirm their authenticity. Their prehistoric age established, we focus attention on a critical reanalysis of arguments surrounding the source of the first introductions of chickens to the Americas. These include historic accounts and hypotheses developed as a result of comparative morphology. Particular attention is focused on assessing the utility of evidence from the study of physical characteristics of both black-boned, black-meat chickens and the phenotypic traits of the Araucana (Gallus inauris) breed to support pre-Columbian introductions. As a result, we reinforce the previous hypothesis that a pre-Columbian introduction of chickens from Polynesia is the most parsimonious explanation for the available evidence.