Bird Bones Research Articles

Ezekiel in the Snow

Ezekiel in the Snow Maisie Mattia (bio) I do not want god to take the form of a mortal man, and that's the truth. Whenever god makes an entrance you know it's not just because he was stopping in. You know it's the end when he comes. I don't want it to end. I don't want to watch doves fall from the trees and blueberries burst into flame. But then again I wasn't the sort to wake my mother in the middle of the night and say I saw an angel and I killed it because it wouldn't tell me where god was. That was him, Ezekiel. Of all names. Mother named him Ezekiel and me she called Elizabeth. Elizabeth Anne, for god's sake, and my brother after a prophet. Mother said he was touched and I said you just wait. Said maybe he'll turn out a preacher and I said maybe he'll wander the desert naked. Mother coddled him all his life on the off chance. I wasn't right about the desert. Ezekiel in the snow is more surprise to me than all the rest of it. I will never forget when he said and here's his feathers, and by god there were feathers. Mother had no idea where he got them, no one was missing a chicken. Ezekiel in the snow. Me driving to him now because of all the rest of it. Some sort of prophet he is. Some sort of dreams he must be having. Driving past the dead lakes and the geese singing like cursed prima donnas. Ezekiel, come warm your hands with me. Ezekiel, tell me a story. Ezekiel, that was no angel. Now he is blind for everything but dreams. Digging for opals, he said. Called Mother from a pay phone. Opals, my god. And in the snow. ________ "No," said the man in the yellow vest. His beard was white as bloodroot. On the bar, a stack of flea-bitten books, about orchids no less. "Seen no one," he said. Then he patted the pocket of his vest, fingered its yellow velvet flap, and removed a small bundle of bird bones. "Except you and everyone with a front porch." Out of the barroom dark limped a greyhound, one eye half-curdled, the other already spoiled. Her teeth, too, were nowhere near a quorum. But her fur was different, some cousin of [End Page 164] mother-of-pearl, almost silver, lilac. "Only dog named in the Bible," he said. She licked from the man's palm with a thin, eloquent tongue, slowly, from what nearly seemed a sense of delicacy, and then disappeared into the dark, to seek from the bones whatever memory of marrow remained. "That makes dogs only one less than the angels." The man removed a jaundiced handkerchief from the opposite pocket to wipe his hands. There was soil in his nails to which he did not attend. His skin was tan as dry tobacco. But he had no beer, only the books. When he leaned close, his breath smelled of wet moss. "What kind of man are you looking for?" I don't know, I said. I hadn't seen Ezekiel for three years. Some sort of prophet, I said. Who knows why. But I trust a man in a yellow vest to have seen a prophet if there is one to be seen. ________ I went back to my motel, in the style of a Spanish mission: rosy adobe, line of weathered beams. Built by someone who mistook snow for sand, seems to me. Color-blind maybe, or just dreaming of summer. Past the cast-iron gate, bars tipped in lily florets: a gravel courtyard for cars. A yellowed flyer taped to my door claims some circus caravan is on the edge of town, in the pine wood. For who, in February? Hare Krishnas, if they ever drifted this far. Or lumberjacks, by happenstance. Glazed aqua tiles for the floor. Pitch blue under the bed, the table, the curtains. Potpourri somewhere. Made the whole room reek of honeysuckle. Ezekiel used to clip it from the vine...

Avian Remains from Late Pre-colonial Amerindian sites on Islands of the Venezuelan Caribbean

ABSTRACTThis paper presents the results of the analyses of 3793 bird remains archaeologically recovered from seven late pre-Hispanic sites (∼AD 1000–1500) on islands of the Venezuelan Caribbean. In order to address subsistence and manufacturing uses of bird bones, we first discuss the recovery process of this unique sample. We proceed to investigate the bones' archaeological contexts as well as the taphonomy in play and analyze diverse bone categories. We found that indigenous peoples consistently targeted several families of birds for food or feathers or both, and that avian bones were used for fashioning tools and adornments. We also discuss possible signatures of island campsite seasonal occupancy as inferred from the bio-ecology of the identified bird taxa. The data suggest that the differentiation of nesting grounds between the Red-footed and Brown Booby in the Southeastern Caribbean may be a result of anthropogenically-induced adaptation. The findings discussed in this paper open challenging avenues for assessing long-term changes in bird communities including the dynamics of resident and wintering bird populations.

Influence of physical activity on tibial bone material properties in laying hens

Laying hens develop a type of osteoporosis that arises from a loss of structural bone, resulting in high incidence of fractures. In this study, a comparison of bone material properties was made for lines of hens created by divergent selection to have high and low bone strength and housed in either individual cages, with restricted mobility, or in an aviary system, with opportunity for increased mobility. Improvement of bone biomechanics in the high line hens and in aviary housing was mainly due to increased bone mass, thicker cortical bone and more medullary bone. However, bone material properties such as cortical and medullary bone mineral composition and crystallinity as well as collagen maturity did not differ between lines. However, bone material properties of birds from the different type of housing were markedly different. The cortical bone in aviary birds had a lower degree of mineralization and bone mineral was less mature and less organized than in caged birds. These differences can be explained by increased bone turnover rates due to the higher physical activity of aviary birds that stimulates bone formation and bone remodeling. Multivariate statistical analyses shows that both cortical and medullary bone contribute to breaking strengthThe cortical thickness was the single most important contributor while its degree of mineralization and porosity had a smaller contribution. Bone properties had poorer correlations with mechanical properties in cage birds than in aviary birds presumably due to the greater number of structural defects of cortical bone in cage birds.

A Mixture of Thyme, Quillaja, and Anise at Different Nutrient Density on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, Meat Quality, Organ Weight, Cecal Bacteria, Excreta Moisture, and Bone Contents in Broiler Chicks

The experiment was carried out on 648 Ross 308 broilers (<TEX>$40.4{\pm}0.2$</TEX> g; 1 d) chickens. It lasted for 28 days to evaluate the effects of phytogenic feed additive (PFA) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, cecum microbiota, bone minerals contents, meat quality and internal organ weights. The chickens were haphazardly divided into any 1 of 6 dietary treatments (6 replicate pens/treatment; 18 broilers/pen). The experimental diets were: CON, control; T1, CON + 150 ppm PFA; T2, CP 0.5% reduced from basal diet; T3, T2 + 150 ppm PFA; T4, Ca 0.07% reduced + available P (aP) 0.065% reduced from basal diet; T5, T4 + 150 ppm PFA. Overall, broilers fed with T3 diet tended to have higher (P=0.08) body weight gain (BWG), and lower (P=0.05) feed conversion ratio (FCR) than T2 diet. The apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of P was lower (P=0.03) in T2 as compared to CON and it was higher (P=0.02) in T3 as compared to T2. There were no differences in meat quality, relative organ weight, and cecum microbiota (P>0.05). The supplementation of PFA showed trends in improvement in ash content in the bone of birds fed T1, T2 and T4 diets compared with CON. Likewise, the supplementation of PFA tended to increase (P=0.07) Ca content in the bone of birds fed T1 diet compared to CON. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 150 ppm PFA could improve BWG in birds fed protein reduced diet, improve apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of P, and the bone Ca contents in broilers.

Analysis of Archaeozoological Assemblage from Nebelivka Trypillian Settlement

The archaeological collection from Nebelivka settlement contains 2519 fragments of bones of mammals, birds, and turtles. 1616 bones were definable to the species they belonged to. The collection consists of «kitchen refuse». A peculiar feature of Nebelivka archaeozoological assemblage is the relatively low content of wild animal species (10,1 % of the total number of mammals). The inhabitants of the settlement bred cattle, small cattle, and pigs. Horse is represented by single bones. At present, there is no conclusive evidence for the refering of horse from Nebelivka to wild or to domestic form. The bones of dogs are also few. They are mainly represented by fragments of lower jaws that were used as tools. The population hunted tour, red deer, roe deer, and hare. The basic amount of animal food (90,3 %) was obtained from domestic animals breeding. The exploitation of domestic animal herds is described by the meat and dairy direction with usage of secondary products: cattle and small cattle’s milk and dairy products, as well as sheep and goats’ wool. The usage of cattle’s draft power is also possible. Pigs breeding was focused in obtaining meat: 77,3 % of animals were slaughtered before reaching sexual maturity. The bones of animals of various species were used to make tools. Domestic animals were pastured near the settlement and kept in stalls during the winter season. The domestic animals, obviously, were sufficiently provided with feed in winter. The structure of the hunting prey and a considerable number of pigs and small cattle indicate a forest-steppe landscape with the alternation of forest and meadow-steppe lands around the settlement.

Identifying Bird Remains Using Ancient DNA Barcoding.

Bird remains that are difficult to identify taxonomically using morphological methods, are common in the palaeontological record. Other types of challenging avian material include artefacts and food items from endangered taxa, as well as remains from aircraft strikes. We here present a DNA-based method that enables taxonomic identification of bird remains, even from material where the DNA is heavily degraded. The method is based on the amplification and sequencing of two short variable parts of the 16S region in the mitochondrial genome. To demonstrate the applicability of this approach, we evaluated the method on a set of Holocene and Late Pleistocene postcranial bird bones from several palaeontological and archaeological sites in Europe with good success.

What happens to dead birds left in a cave and its vicinity for a quarter of a century? A taphonomic experiment

This paper describes a bird carcass-monitoring experiment carried out in a limestone cave and its immediate vicinity in southern Poland for almost a quarter of a century. Some specimens deposited outside the cave were preserved almost intact, others were only a little weathered. Soft tissues and remnants of feathers were preserved in some of the samples inside the cave. Stages of bone modifications that can occur in a cave have been distinguished and illustrated for the first time. Also, bird bones from owl pellets have been used in a carcass-monitoring experiment for the first time. Bone modifications in the form of wrinkling, bending and/or collapsing of the bone surface were recorded only on the bones of birds that decomposed inside the cave, and not on bones that had been isolated from owl pellets prior to their deposition in the cave. Therefore, it is postulated that avian – and possibly also small mammal – bones that have been defleshed, either by people or animals, have a greater chance to survive and fossilize than bones deposited as complete carcasses in a cave. This agrees with the generally accepted notion that larger assemblages of small vertebrates in caves are usually the result of predator accumulation.

Effect of copper nanoparticles administered in ovo on the activity of proliferating cells and on the resistance of femoral bones in broiler chickens

ABSTRACTThe objective of this study was to evaluate bone resistance after in ovo administration of copper nanoparticles (NanoCu) and to determine the number of cells positive for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in the femoral bones of broiler chickens (n = 12 per group). The study demonstrated that femoral bones from the NanoCu group were characterised by a higher weight and volume and by significantly greater resistance to fractures compared to the Control group. NanoCu promoted the proliferation of PCNA-positive cells in the long bones of chickens. A significantly higher number of PCNA-positive cells in the bones of birds in the NanoCu group compared with the Control group (137 and 122, respectively) indicate a stimulatory effect during embryogenesis. Considering the improvement in bone resistance to fractures and the effect of NanoCu on the number of PCNA-positive cells in femoral bones, NanoCu may be an alternative agent to minimise the ever-present problem of weak bones in broiler chickens.

Oxygen isotope fractionation between bird bone phosphate and drinking water.

Oxygen isotope compositions of bone phosphate (δ18Op) were measured in broiler chickens reared in 21 farms worldwide characterized by contrasted latitudes and local climates. These sedentary birds were raised during an approximately 3 to 4-month period, and local precipitation was the ultimate source of their drinking water. This sampling strategy allowed the relationship to be determined between the bone phosphate δ18Op values (from 9.8 to 22.5‰ V-SMOW) and the local rainfall δ18Ow values estimated from nearby IAEA/WMO stations (from -16.0 to -1.0‰ V-SMOW). Linear least square fitting of data provided the following isotopic fractionation equation: δ18Ow=1.119 (±0.040) δ18Op-24.222 (±0.644); R 2=0.98. The δ18Op-δ18Ow couples of five extant mallard ducks, a common buzzard, a European herring gull, a common ostrich, and a greater rhea fall within the predicted range of the equation, indicating that the relationship established for extant chickens can also be applied to birds of various ecologies and body masses. Applied to published oxygen isotope compositions of Miocene and Pliocene penguins from Peru, this new equation computes estimates of local seawater similar to those previously calculated. Applied to the basal bird Confuciusornis from the Early Cretaceous of Northeastern China, our equation gives a slightly higher δ18Ow value compared to the previously estimated one, possibly as a result of lower body temperature. These data indicate that caution should be exercised when the relationship estimated for modern birds is applied to their basal counterparts that likely had a metabolism intermediate between that of their theropod dinosaur ancestors and that of advanced ornithurines.

A decorated raven bone from the Zaskalnaya VI (Kolosovskaya) Neanderthal site, Crimea.

We analyze a radius bone fragment of a raven (Corvus corax) from Zaskalnaya VI rock shelter, Crimea. The object bears seven notches and comes from an archaeological level attributed to a Micoquian industry dated to between 38 and 43 cal kyr BP. Our study aims to examine the degree of regularity and intentionality of this set of notches through their technological and morphometric analysis, complemented by comparative experimental work. Microscopic analysis of the notches indicate that they were produced by the to-and-fro movement of a lithic cutting edge and that two notches were added to fill in the gap left between previously cut notches, probably to increase the visual consistency of the pattern. Multivariate analysis of morphometric data recorded on the archaeological notches and sets of notches cut by nine modern experimenters on radii of domestic turkeys shows that the variations recorded on the Zaskalnaya set are comparable to experimental sets made with the aim of producing similar, parallel, equidistant notches. Identification of the Weber Fraction, the constant that accounts for error in human perception, for equidistant notches cut on bone rods and its application to the Zaskalnaya set of notches and thirty-six sets of notches incised on seventeen Upper Palaeolithic bone objects from seven sites indicate that the Zaskalnaya set falls within the range of variation of regularly spaced experimental and Upper Palaeolithic sets of notches. This suggests that even if the production of the notches may have had a utilitarian reason the notches were made with the goal of producing a visually consistent pattern. This object represents the first instance of a bird bone from a Neanderthal site bearing modifications that cannot be explained as the result of butchery activities and for which a symbolic argument can be built on direct rather than circumstantial evidence.

Bone histological correlates of soaring and high-frequency flapping flight in the furculae of birds

The furcula is a specialized bone in birds involved in flight function. Its morphology has been shown to reflect different flight styles from soaring/gliding birds, subaqueous flight to high-frequency flapping flyers. The strain experienced by furculae can vary depending on flight type. Bone remodeling is a response to damage incurred from different strain magnitudes and types. In this study, we tested whether a bone microstructural feature, namely Haversian bone density, differs in birds with different flight styles, and reassessed previous work using phylogenetic comparative methods that assume an evolutionary model with additional taxa. We show that soaring birds have higher Haversian bone densities than birds with a flapping style of flight. This result is probably linked to the fact that the furculae of soaring birds provide less protraction force and more depression force than furculae of birds showing other kinds of flight. The whole bone area is another explanatory factor, which confirms the fact that size is an important consideration in Haversian bone development. All birds, however, display Haversian bone development in their furculae, and other factors like age could be affecting the response of Haversian bone development.

Who ate the birds: the taphonomy of Sarakenos Cave, Greece

The taphonomic analysis of avian remains from Sarakenos Cave reveals that, contrary to previous suggestions, many bird bones excavated there represent food remains of the Eagle Owls rather than humans. The conclusion is based on the presence of traces of digestion, beak and claw punctures, and indirect evidence that includes relative preservation of particular elements, species composition, the lack of cut marks, and the absence of numerous traces of burning. Specimens with medullary bone and traces of digestion indicate that the owls killed breeding females in spring. Since it is unlikely that owls shared the cave with humans at the same time, it supports the notion based on archeological evidence that human groups did not inhabit it permanently.

Paleoenvironment of the medieval settlement Hodosivka-Roslavske (11/12–14th cent. CE, Ukraine): The first comprehensive bioarchaeological investigation of the East Slavic village

Informative and representative bioarchaeological data were obtained using screen-washing and flotation at the late-medieval Hodosivka-Roslavske settlement (near Kyiv, Ukraine) in 2015. Material under study included carbonated macroremains of cultivated plants (rye, millet, barley, emmer wheat, pea), wild grass (brome), weeds (cleaver), nutshell, charcoal samples (belonging to pine, oak, maple, ash, poplar/aspen, alder, willow, rowan), as well as fish bones and scales (representing eight species, including perch, pike, catfish, etc.), bones of anuran amphibians (toads and frogs), reptiles (sand lizard, grass snake), birds (garganey/Eurasian teal, marsh tit), and teeth of small mammals (both insectivorous and rodents). These findings have significantly deepened our knowledge of the paleoecology of the Hodosivka-Roslavske settlement from the 11/12–14th centuries CE. The use of screen-washing and flotation provides an opportunity to obtain a large amount of comprehensive information about the environment of this archaeological monument.

ANIMALES E INCAS EN EL OESTE TINOGASTEÑO (CATAMARCA, ARGENTINA)

This paper explores the diverse human practices related to the use of animals during the Inca occupation of west Tinogasta (Catamarca, Argentina). We argue that the Inca state sponsored festivities in the San Francisco site (transitional puna of Chaschuil), where wild animal meat, mainly meat and bone marrow of adult vicuñas, was shared and consumed. These wild camelids were captured during the chaku, a collective hunting regulated by social and cultural mechanisms. Llamas were used as beasts of burden in caravans transporting ceramic vessels (aríbalosandaribaloides) from the pottery production center of Batungasta to San Francisco. We postulate that thearíbalosandaribaloides, which were designed for alcoholic beverages, were lined with camelid bone marrow to make their inner walls impermeable. Lastly, we argue that bones of birds and rodents were used to and the skin of a puma (important symbolic animal for the Incas) was processed in the San Francisco site.

La explotación de las aves en época romana en la península Ibérica

The scarce published studies on bird bones in the Iberian Peninsula have led to the identification of less than nine hundred remains from 38 roman sites. They correspond to an important number of species, even if most of them are only represented by 1 to 5 specimens. The comparison with the birds mentioned in written sources reveals the absence of Porphyrio porphyrio, Francolinus francolinus and Fulica atra, among others. The predominant species with 77 % of the remains is domestic fowl (Gallus gallus), followed by the red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa), the grey partridge (Perdix perdix), the greylag goose (Anser anser) and the rock dove (Columba livia). Some finds may indicate the consumption of large species like Otis tarda or Grus grus.

A rallying point for different predators: the avian record from a Late Pleistocene sequence of Grotte des Barasses II (Balazuc, Ardèche, France)

The presence of processed birds in the archeological faunal record is considered key to assessing human dietary evolution. Taphonomic studies on birds from sites older than Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2 have become relevant in the last few years, leading to the proposal of more complex scenarios of human subsistence. Several works have demonstrated direct evidence of bird consumption by Homo prior to anatomically modern humans in Europe; however, others support the hypothesis of non-anthropogenic bird accumulations. This has led to the necessity of determining what elements or factors cause the human exploitation of birds in some archeological sites before the end of the Pleistocene. The Grotte des Barasses II site is located within this framework. Short-term human occupations have been attested by the presence of lithic tools and processed macrofaunal remains. Additionally, a small assemblage of bird bones has also been recovered. Here, we present a detailed taphonomic study with the aim of exploring possible relationships between these avian taxa and human occupations. Despite the fact that Neanderthals inhabited the cave, avian specimens show damage pointing to different causative agents. Direct evidence (digestion, gnawing) indicates that mammalian carnivores and nocturnal raptors were mainly involved in the accumulation of bird bones. We propose some factors that might determine whether or not small game was exploited in this specific locality and emphasize the importance of such analytical approaches in the general interpretations of the Pleistocene sites.

A Cache Within a Cache: Description of an Abalone “Treasure-Box” from the CA-SNI-14 Redwood Box Cache, San Nicolas Island, Alta California

Excavation of a cache feature eroding from a sea cliff on the northwest coast of San Nicolas Island produced two redwood boxes containing more than 200 artifacts of Nicoleño, Native Alaskan, and Euroamerican origin, along with four asphaltum-lined basketry water bottles and other artifacts. An abalone shell “treasure-box” was found inside the western box of the feature that included a large black abalone shell dish containing 20 items and a second black abalone shell that served as a lid. This “cache within a cache” contained two finely crafted eccentric abalone fishhooks, three shell pendants, an abalone nacre spangle, two bird bone pendants, two stone beads, a piece of chlorite displaying striations, two unmodified shells, and seven bifaces made from exotic chert and bottle glass. This article describes the treasure-box and its contents, addressing stylistic and functional attributes and exploring how these items might relate to one another. Similar receptacles from the Channel Islands and southern California coast are also discussed. The contents of the abalone treasure-box represent utilitarian and ornamental items from the rich Nicoleño culture, stowed during the early to mid-nineteenth century, possibly by the famous Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island.

EARLY MIOCENE INSULAR VERTEBRATES FROM LAERRU (SARDINIA, ITALY): PRELIMINARY NOTE

A new vertebrate assemblage was discovered in an Early Miocene lacustrine deposit near the village of Laerru (northern Sardinia, Italy). The assemblage is composed by mammals, reptiles and a bird. The mammals are represented by three ruminants (cf. Sardomeryx oschiriensis , Pecora indet. small size and Pecora indet. very small size) and one dormouse ( Peridyromys aff. murinus ) while reptiles are represented by turtles (Trionychidae?) and crocodiles (cf. Diplocynodon sp.). A bird bone fragment is also reported and referred to Palaeortyx cf. brevipes (Galliformes). The assemblage can be related to the “Oschiri fauna”, one of the oldest endemic insular fauna known in the Mediterranean. The age of the Laerru vertebrates is early-middle Burdigalian, between 18.8 and 18.3 Ma, corresponding to the mammal unit of the main land MN3. The predominance of ruminants confirms the good capacity of these mammals to colonize insular environments.

Fishery in the eneolithic forest-steppe of the Volga Region (on excavation materials of Lebyazhinka VI settlement in 2013-2014 years)

The following paper contains information about fishers weapons and fish bones founded in Lebyazhinka VI eneolitic settlement in the forrest-steppe region of the Volga river. We analyse materials of the second half of the IV millennium BC. The filling of pits represents dwellings with the inner edge, stone and bone tools, animal bones of turtles, birds and fish. The importance of this studiing is in the possibility of a complex view. The purpose of this article is to analyze the fish catching, hunting and fish bones. Hunting tools are represented by bone harpoons with one, two or many teeth, arranged on one side. There are two types of fishbone hooks: whole and composite. We determined the typological features of catching tools, and moreover we determined quantitative, species, age and size characteristics of fish. The main fishes were pike and catfish, then luce, pike, perch, roach, sturgeon, sterlet. The fish sizes are medium and large, the age is about 8-10 years. We have an opinion of the way of fishing including hooks, harpoons, nets and stakes. The research will be completed with new materials.

Medullary bone in fossils: function, evolution and significance in growth curve reconstructions of extinct vertebrates.

Medullary bone (MB) is a special endosteal tissue forming in the bones of female birds during egg laying to serve as a labile calcium reservoir for building the hard eggshell. Therefore, the presence of MB reported in multiple nonavian dinosaurs is currently considered as evidence that those specimens were sexually mature females in their reproductive period. This interpretation has led to further inferences on species-specific growth strategies and related life-history aspects of these extinct vertebrates. However, a few studies questioned the reproductive significance of fossil MB by either regarding the tissue pathological or attributing alternative functions to it. This study reviews the general inferences on extinct vertebrates and discusses the primary role, distribution, regulation and adaptive significance of avian MB to point out important but largely overlooked uncertainties and inconsistencies in this matter. Emerging discordancy is demonstrated when the presence of MB vs. trade-off between growth and reproduction is used for interpreting dinosaurian growth curves. Synthesis of these data suggests that fossil MB was related to high calcium turnover rates but not exclusively to egg laying. Furthermore, revised application of Allosaurus growth data by modelling individual-based growth curves implies a much higher intraspecific variability in growth strategies, including timing of sexual maturation, than usually acknowledged. New hypotheses raised here to resolve these incongruences also propose new directions of research on the origin and functional evolution of this curious bone tissue.