The Mummy Macaw Parrots

This photo of supposedly 3,000 year old mummified Egyptian parrots has been making the rounds of social media including Facebook and Twitter.

Setting aside the nonsensical idea that South American parrots somehow found their way across the Atlantic Ocean and through the Mediterranean Sea to Egypt three millennia ago, just to set the record straight, they are not 3,000 years old. They are not Egyptian. They are not even real parrots!

This photo illustrates a ten year old art installation by a Belgian artist named Eline 't Sant. A contemporary graphic designer and painter, she works mostly with mixed-media and assemblages. She frequently travels through the African and Asian continents which is reflected in her work.

The installation is kind of cool though. She imagines parrots as archaeological artifacts. She has photos of her art on her website:

http://www.elinetsant.be/

Just click on the Parrots link.