Avian Remains Research Articles

The role of birds as grave gifts in richly furnished Roman Iron Age inhumation gravesc. 1–375 AD, eastern Denmark

ABSTRACT In this paper, zooarchaeological evidence from Roman Iron Age (c. 1–375 AD) inhumation graves with focus on the avian remains is presented. The material comprises both old and recently excavated material mainly from wealthy burial sites in eastern Denmark. Birds occur rarely as grave gifts in Danish inhumation graves. In total six graves provided bird remains with three holding parts of or entire goose (Anser anser) skeletons and three yielding domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). Both bird species were offered as food for the deceased as evidenced by cut marks and by the arrangements of the birds in pottery vessels or their location associated with other food offers like meaty portions of pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) and sheep (Ovis aries). Morphometric and contextual analyses indicated that the geese were domesticated geese. All graves with goose were princely graves, containing Roman imports and other animals offered, such as entire, but butchered lambs or pigs but also dogs (Canis fami...

Avian fossils from the Early Miocene Moghra Formation of Egypt

Avian remains from the Early Miocene (∼17 Ma) Moghra Formation of Egypt include new records of ‘waterbirds’ (storks, herons, pelicans and allies) and a ratite. Only a single avian fossil has been previously reported from Wadi Moghra and, thus, additional knowledge of the avifauna complements previously documented faunal and floral assemblages and provides a more complete picture of the Early Miocene ecosystem of that locality. The presence of ciconiiforms and pelecaniforms is consistent with the relatively abundant records of ‘waterbirds’ from other African freshwater fossil localities. Moreover, avian fossils from Wadi Moghra provide new insight into the avifaunal composition of the Early Miocene in Africa, a period that is relatively underrepresented in the avian fossil record of that continent.

First bird remains from the Eocene of Algarrobo, central Chile Primeros restos de aves del Eoceno de Algarrobo, Chile central

Paleogene records of birds in the Eastern margin of the Pacific Ocean have increased in recent years, being almost exclusively restricted to fossil Sphenisciformes (penguins). New avian remains (Ornithurae, Neornithes) from Middle-to-Late Eocene levels of the Estratos de Algarrobo unit, in Algarrobo, central Chile, are disclosed in the present work. These new finds are significant in representing the first non-spheniscid bird remains of Middle to Late Eocene age, recovered in mid-latitudes of the eastern Pacific and probably belonging to a procelarid. It complements the regional record of Eocene birds, previously known only at high-latitudes such as Seymour Island (Antarctica) and Magallanes (Chile), and low-latitude locations in Peru.

A new genus and species of Pelagornithidae with well-preserved pseudodentition and further avian remains from the middle Eocene of the Ukraine

ABSTRACT We describe new avian remains from the middle Eocene of eastern Ukraine. The material includes well-preserved bones of a small species of Pelagornithidae (bony-toothed birds), which was tentatively identified as Odontopteryx toliapica in an earlier study. The Ukrainian pelagornithid is, however, distinguished from this species and other early Eocene pelagornithids in several features, and we describe it as Lutetodontopteryx tethyensis, gen. et sp. nov. The new material includes the most complete pseudodentition of a small Paleogene pelagornithid, and details of pseudotooth morphology strengthen previous assumptions that the pseudodentition of pelagornithids derives from tooth-specific developmental programs and is homologous to true avian teeth on a molecular level. Most major postcranial bones of L. tethyensis are represented by well-preserved bones, and in some derived morphological features the Ukrainian species agrees with Neogene pelagornithids but differs from the early Eocene Dasornis species. We also report a partial sternum of a much larger bony-toothed bird, which resembles the sternum of the middle Eocene Gigantornis eaglesomei. We further describe previously unknown skeletal elements of the loon Colymbiculus udovichenkoi (Gaviiformes), which show that this species substantially differs, in both wing and leg morphology, from the well-known gaviiform stem-group taxon Colymboides.

Continuous 300,000-year fossil record: changes in the ornithofauna of Biśnik Cave, Poland

Biśnik Cave is situated in a limestone rock about 50 km northeast of Krakow, southern Poland. Its importance stems from the fact that it is one of the few sites in Europe, and the only one in Poland, with 300,000-year-long sequence of uninterrupted sediments, that cover the time span from before the Saalian to the Holocene. The excavations yielded about 200,000 animal bones and more than 4,000 stone, bone and antler artifacts. Bird remains from Biśnik Cave consist of nearly 1,600 skeletal fragments of at least 96 taxa that represent a minimum of 285 individuals. The majority of the remains belong to Galliformes; relatively numerous are also Corvidae, Falconiformes, Anseriformes and the genus Turdus. The remains include one extinct taxon (Falco tinnunculus atavus) and four species new for the Polish fossil avifauna (Aquila heliaca, Pinicola enucleator, Loxia pytyopsittacus and Carduelis flammea). Avian remains indicate a mosaic of various habitats in the surroundings of Biśnik Cave. Some kind of mature forest or at least sparsely growing trees, as well as water bodies, marshes, wet meadows, steppe and tundra habitats must have been present during the entire time of sedimentation. It is postulated that the Krakow-Czestochowa Upland was a local refugium for the forest fauna during the Saalian and Vistulian glaciations.

Avian Remains from Khonkho Wankane, an Urban and Ceremonial Center in the Southern Lake Titicaca Altiplano

The urban and ceremonial center Khonkho Wankane flourished in the southern Lake Titicaca Altiplano region during the Late Formative prior to the rise of Tiwanaku as a dominant urban center. This site yielded an avifaunal number of identified specimens (NISP) = 631, with a minimum of 26 taxa represented among 539 skeletal elements or fragments. A total of 92 egg shell fragments also were recovered. The avifauna inhabited two major ecological zones: Lake Titicaca, its margins/wetlands and other water margins; and the dry Altiplano grassland (or puna). Lake/wetland taxa include Phoenicopterus chilensis (Chilean flamingo), Nycticorax nycticorax (night heron) and multiple taxa in the Order Anseriformes (ducks, geese, etc.) including Chloephaga melanoptera (Andean goose), Anas georgica (yellow-billed pintail), A. flavirostris (speckled teal) and Oxyura jamaicensis (Andean ruddyduck). Also present are Fulica ardesiaca (Andean coot), Gallinago andina (puna snipe), Himantopus mexicanus (black-necked stilt) and Charadrius alticola (puna plover). Puna taxa include Nothoprocta cf. ornata (ornate tinamou), Nothura cf. darwinii (Darwin's nothura), Metropelia sp. (ground doves), Athene cunicularia (burrowing owl), and multiple Passeriformes (songbirds, etc.). Taxa with a cosmopolitan distribution include Falco cf. femoralis (aplomado falcon) and Tyto alba (barn owl). Taphonomic analysis indicates that the avifauna were used in ceremonial contexts, including multiple Falco cf. femoralis burials, and for dietary and possibly tool-making purposes. Other sources of introduction into the site deposits likely include natural mortality of taxa directly inhabiting the site area. These findings are compared to the avifauna recovered from the Formative site of Chiripa along the Lake Titicaca margin, which included a much higher proportion of lake bird fauna. At Khonkho Wankane, the importance of wetland avifauna may have been enhanced by the alteration of the local environment to include qochas, or artificial reservoirs/ponds, and continued despite reliance upon multiple domesticated plant and mammal species. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Middle Eocene Pelagornithidae and Gaviiformes (Aves) from the Ukrainian Paratethys

Abstract: We describe avian remains from Novopskov, a new middle Eocene marine locality in Ukraine. The fossils constitute the most substantial collection of Palaeogene bird bones from Eastern Europe and contribute to a better knowledge of the Paratethyan seabird fauna. Most of the specimens belong to Pelagornithidae (bony-toothed birds), and two species of very different size can be distinguished. The larger of these is tentatively referred to Dasornis sp., the smaller to Odontopteryx toliapica. The specimens include skeletal elements that were not described for Palaeogene bony-toothed birds and document previously unknown morphological differences between Palaeogene and Neogene Pelagornithidae. It is argued that the purported crane Eobalearica tugarinovi, from the middle Eocene of Kyrgyzstan, is probably also a bony-toothed bird. A new genus and species of small Gaviiformes, Colymbiculus udovinchenkoi, is described, which is the earliest fossil record of a loon from Europe, preceding the next oldest specimens by more than 10 myr. The Ukrainian fossils document profound differences between middle Eocene and extant marine avifaunas of Europe, and whereas the middle Eocene Paratethyan avifauna appears to have been similar to that of the North Sea with regard to pelagornithid diversity, the absence of prophaethontids and relative abundance of Gaviiformes may indicate faunistic differences concerning the remaining seabirds.

Bone damage patterns found in the avian prey remains of crested caracara Caracara plancus (Aves, Falconiformes)

The following paper presents the results of the analysis of the avian prey bones found in uneaten remains of crested caracara ( Caracara plancus, Aves, Falconiformes) from La Pampa province, Argentina. Anatomical parts representation and taphonomic modifications were evaluated and compared to results of the evaluation of bone remains recovered from crested caracara’s pellets and to previous studies of other diurnal birds of prey. The results suggest a preferential consumption of some body parts of avian prey, as evidenced in the high frequency of wing elements in the uneaten prey remains. This analysis helps to support interpretative data concerning the origins of avian remains in the zooarchaeological and paleontological record, and contributes to the knowledge of a common predator found throughout diverse environments in South America.

A record of Rhynchaeites (Aves, Threskiornithidae) from the early Eocene Fur Formation of Denmark, and the affinities of the alleged parrot Mopsitta

We describe three-dimensionally preserved avian remains from the early Eocene Fur Formation of Denmark, which can be assigned to the taxon Rhynchaeites. This stem group representative of Threskiornithidae (ibises and spoonbills) was previously only known from the middle Eocene locality Messel in Germany. The Danish fossil, which consists of a partial postcranial skeleton, closely resembles the Messel species R. messelensis but is slightly larger and differs in a few osteological details. It allows the recognition of previously unknown osteological features of Rhynchaeites and constitutes the earliest fossil record of Threskiornithidae, predating the Messel fossils by 7 million years. We show that the alleged parrot Mopsitta tanta, which was described on the basis of an isolated humerus from the Fur Formation, most likely belongs to the same species. If specific distinctness of the Fur Formation Rhynchaeites is confirmed by future, more complete skeletons, it should thus be classified as R. tanta.

A Columbid-Like Avian Foot from the Oligocene of Poland

The paper describes one of the very few avian remains from the Oligocene of Poland. It consists of a slab and counterslab with imprints of a partly damaged right tarsometatarsus and several phalanges of which those of the hallux are well-preserved. The fossil has been compared to all extinct and most extant taxa. Although the foot resembles that of extant columbids, its systematic affiliations remain unresolved due to its incompleteness.

Mid-Holocene skua remains from King George Island, Antarctica

Seven avian remains from Mid-Holocene strata of the southeastern coast of Potter Peninsula (King George Island: Isla 25 de Mayo, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica) are reported. They were described and assigned to the brown skua Stercorarius antarcticus lonnbergi (Aves, Laridae), a living species currently breeding in the area. The presence of penguins in the same sequence is in agreement with the current dynamics of the coastal ecosystems of Antarctica. Nowadays, penguins and skuas frequent these same environments.

Quercypsitta-like birds from the early Eocene of India (Aves, ?Psittaciformes)

ABSTRACT We report new avian remains from the early Eocene Cambay Formation of Vastan Lignite Mine in western India. Most of the bones belong to the as yet poorly known taxon Vastanavis, of which a new species, V. cambayensis, is described. For the first time, tarsometatarsi of Vastanavis can be identified, which show that this taxon had semi-zygodactyl feet. In overall morphology, Vastanavis closely resembles the species of the Quercypsittidae, which occur in the late Eocene of Europe and are considered stem group representatives of the parrots (Psittaciformes). Several plesiomorphic features indicate, however, that Vastanavis is outside a clade including Quercypsitta and crown group Psittaciformes, and we therefore assign it to a new family, Vastanavidae. Vastanavis corresponds well with an as yet undescribed avian species from the early Eocene London Clay in England, and we conclude that, at least concerning the arboreal taxa, the early Eocene avifauna of India shows some concordances with the much better known one from the early Eocene of Europe. We further describe a distal tarsometatarsus from Vastan Lignite Mine that superficially resembles that of extant New World vultures (Cathartidae), but comes from a roller-sized species.

A small loon and a new species of large owl from the Rupelian of Belgium (Aves: Gaviiformes, Strigiformes)

The early Oligocene Boom Formation in Belgium yielded many avian remains from the Rupelian unit-stratotype, most of which have remained unstudied so far. Here, I describe a small loon (Gaviiformes) and a new species of large owl (Strigiformes) that are represented by associated bones of a single individual each. The loon, of which wing and pectoral girdle bones are preserved, is assigned to Colymboides (?) metzleri, a species previously known from a partial skeleton from the Rupelian of Germany. The owl is based on a tarsometatarsus and distal tibiotarsus and described as a new species, Selenornis steendorpensis. It constitutes the most substantial fossil record of the taxon Selenornis, which was before known from a distal tibiotarsus from an unknown horizon of the Quercy fissure fillings in southwestern France. It is detailed that there are differences in the higher level taxonomic composition of the known early Oligocene avifaunas of northern and southern Europe, which may reflect true zoogeographic facts owing to a different climate and vegetation.

Fossil birds from the Late Cretaceous Los Alamitos Formation, Río Negro Province, Argentina

In this note we report new avian remains from the Late Cretaceous Los Alamitos Formation (Campanian-Maastrichtian) at the Los Alamitos locality, Río Negro Province, Argentina. Isolated remains referable to indeterminate Aves, ?Patagopterygiformes, indeterminate Ornithurae, cf. Hesperornithes and cf. Neornithes are described and discussed. The new genus and species Alamitornis minutus is erected to include a minute-sized and gracile bird, probably related to the non-volant ratite-like bird Patagopteryx. If correctly identified, the record of Hesperornithes may be the first for this group in the Southern Hemisphere. The Los Alamitos paleoavifauna represents one of the most diverse fossil bird assemblage from the Mesozoic of Gondwana known to date.

The first Cenozoic fossil bird from Venezuela

The first Cenozoic avian remains from Venezuela are described. The material comprises an associated right tarsometatarsus and tibiotarsus from the earliest Pliocene of the Codore Formation, northwestern Venezuela. The fossil-bearing horizon represents a deltaic paleoenvironment. The elements are long and narrow, and the presence of a circular incisura intercondylaris bordered proximally by a prominent and centrally-situated tuberculum m. tibialis anticus on the tibiotarsus, allows confident referral to the Ciconiidae (storks). The elements are a close match in morphology and size to the extantJabiru mycteria (Jabiru Stork), although the presence on the distal tibiotarsus of a well-defined caudal sulcus, a narrower sulcus extensorius and shallower angled pons supratendineus, and on the tarsometatarsus of a narrower and deeper sulcus on the plantar surface and a less prominent ridge laterally bordering the fossa supratrochlearis plantaris indicate that this is a new species,Jabiru codorensis n. sp.Jabiru mycteria, the only living species, still occurs in Venezuela, where it is found mostly in grassy wetlands. These specimens represent the first fossil record ofJabiru, as well as the first pre-Pleistocene record of fossil birds from Venezuela.

Faunal and taphonomic analyses of a Late Pleistocene bird-bone assemblage from a cave deposit in north-west Hungary

The paper presents a faunal and taphonomic discussion of the Late Pleistocene bird-bone assemblages excavated in Kálvária Cave n o 4 near the city of Tatabánya in north-west Hungary. A total of 1150 complete and fragmentary avian remains were recovered from two locations on two separate occasions. Of these, 873 bones could be identified on the species-, family- or order-level. Fifteen of the identified 19 bird taxa could be determined on the species level and they indicate a habitat typical of forest margins. Several species yielded juvenile or subadult specimens, which in view of the breeding period means that these birds died during the summer, most probably between July and September. Each of the two assemblages had distinct characteristics. The high number of kestrel ( Falco tinnunculus) long bones in Assemblage I generally included complete skeletal parts from subadult birds, suggesting a colony which bred in the cave, whose chicks died of natural causes. Even though the bones were exposed to a certain degree of water transport and soil corrosion, they were generally well preserved in the cave sediment. Size-characteristic analyses demonstrated that, in spite of the undeveloped morphological features, the sizes of limb bones usually corresponded to those of adult birds. The greater part of the material in Assemblage II originated from a stratified deposit and was dominated by small and fragmented remains of various taxa. The taxa which could be identified and the taphonomic features of the remains suggest that owl pellets formed the core of this bone assemblage.

Avian remains from the Early Bronze Age settlement near Dyadovo village (vicinity of the town of Nova Zagora, Stara Zagora Region, SE Bulgaria)

Avian remains from the Early Bronze Age settlement near Dyadovo village (vicinity of the town of Nova Zagora, Stara Zagora Region, SE Bulgaria)

New Avian Remains from the Eocene of Mongolia and the Phylogenetic Position of the Eogruidae (Aves, Gruoidea)

A well-preserved nearly complete avian tarsometatarsus was collected by the 2002 expedition of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences from upper Eocene deposits exposed at the locality of Alag Tsav in the Eastern Gobi desert (Dornogov Aimag) of Mongolia. The new specimen is identified as part of a proposed Eogruidae clade, although it is unclear whether it is appropriately the holotype of a new species within this clade or referable to a previously named species. The clade Eogruidae has, as its current contents, species named as part of the traditional families Eogruidae + Ergilornithidae, which include several taxa of completely didactylous and apparently flightless birds. Referral of the new fossil to the clade Eogruidae is on the basis of derived reduction/loss of the metatarsal II trochlea.A series of phylogenetic analyses was used to investigate the systematic position of Eogruidae (including the new fossil, IGM 100/1447), which have been proposed to be a dominant part of Eocene to Miocene Asian faunas. First, the Mayr and Clarke (2003) dataset for crown clade Aves was used to investigate placement of Eogruidae within Aves, using a more completely known eogruid, Eogrus aeola, as an exemplar taxon. Eogrus aeola was identical to the new tarsometatarsus for all scored characters. A strict consensus cladogram of three most parsimonious trees from 1000 replicate heuristic searches placed Eogrus aeola in an unresolved polytomy with Psophiidae and Gruidae (Trumpeters and Cranes).Given the results of this analysis, Eogruidae (including IGM 100/1447) was analyzed in the suborder Grues dataset of Livezey (1998). Eogruidae was placed as the sister taxon to an Aramidae + Gruidae clade in the strict consensus cladogram of the eight most parsimonious trees resulting from a branch and bound search. Because monophyly of the traditional order Gruiformes has been repeatedly questioned, and the outgroups used in the original Grues dataset were identified through analyses assuming monophyly, the impact of removing these assumptions was investigated. Placement was robust to both changing outgroup assumptions and to swapping in the more incompletely known IGM 100/1447 as an exemplar for Eogruidae.

The birds of the Djurab Pliocene faunas, Chad, Central Africa

The Pliocene sites of the Djurab region (Chad, Africa) have yielded 19 avian remains. They belong to seven different taxa: a cormorant, Phalacrocorax cf. carbo, a darter, Anhinga cf. melanogaster, a heron (Ardeidae), a Ciconiidae of the tribe Leptoptilini, the size of the extant African species of marabou stork or Saddlebill, an extinct marabou stork (or adjutant) of large size - Leptoptilos sp. B, an Anserinae (swan or goose), and a duck (Anatinae). These birds indicate freshwater environments, a slow river or a lake. Also represented in the landscape were open as well as forested areas, like gallery forest. The avifaunas are thus well congruent with other paleoenvironmental results obtained at these sites, particularly regarding the humid character of the region in the Pliocene, and generally of the climate for that period in a part of the Sahel which is now desertic.

A NEW EARLY PLEISTOCENE BIRD ASSOCIATION FROM PIETRAFITTA (PERUGIA, CENTRAL ITALY)

We here present che preliminary results of the analysis of the fossil bird assemblages found in the lignite deposits of the Pietrafitta Mine (Perugia, Central Italy). A rich vertebrate association, mainly mammals, has been retrieved in Pietrafitta, which is the richest local fauna of the Farneta Faunal Unit (late Villafranchian, early Pleistocene). Avian remains of Podicipedidae, Ardeidae, Phalacrocoracidae, Anatidae, Phasianidae and Rallidae have been identified, for most of which Pietrafitta represents the earliest occurrence in Italy. The Pietrafitta fossil bird association is the first Italian bird assemblage of the Early Pleistocene and seems to be one of the most important ones for the early Pleistocene in Europe, especially because it contains mainly aquatic birds, often rare in many other European deposits.