Heads Of Birds Research Articles

THE JÄGALA FIBULA REVISITED, OR REMARKS ON WERNER’S CLASS II D

Half a century ago, Harri Moora was convinced that the Iron Age stronghold at Jagala, in northern Estonia, was still occupied in the seventh century, because of a fibula accidentally found by Erik Laid on that site in 1939 (Moora 1955, 53; Johanson & Veldi 2005, 30). Moora dated the fibula on the basis of analogies from Ukraine, without however citing Joachim Werner's influential paper on Slavic bow fibulae, which had been published just a few years before his own work (Werner 1950). He must have been struck by the great resemblance between the Jagala fibula (Fig. 1: 9) and other specimens, which Werner had assigned to his class II D (fibulae with bird-heads and circle-and-dot decoration; Werner 1950, 161 f.). (1) There are now 45 specimens known for that class, 26 (58 percent) of which have been found on the territory of present-day Ukraine, outside Crimea. (2) It is therefore time to re-examine Moora's premises in the light of the new finds and re-evaluate his conclusion regarding the northernmost find of Werner's Slavic fibulae. (3) [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Introduction For his classification, Werner relied on visual, mostly intuitive criteria, of which he named only two: the bird-head headplate crown and the circle-and-dot decoration on both head- and footplate. He did not pay any attention to differences in size. For example, the fibula from grave 28 in Suuk Su (Fig. 2: 31) was published side by side with that from Pastyrs'ke (Fig. 2: 24), but appears considerably smaller, although the two artefacts are almost of the same size (Werner 1950, pl. 40: 31 and 33). By contrast, in her recent study, Vlasta Rodinkova distinguished between large fibulae with rather realistically designed bird heads in the headplate crown (such as those found in grave 28 in Suuk Su or in Smorodino, Fig. 2: 29 and 31) and shorter specimens with stylized bird heads (such as those from Kerch' and burial chamber 36 in Luchistoe, Figs 1: 10 and 2: 22). According to Rodinkova, specimens of the second group were imitations of the larger and more elaborate fibulae. (4) She also noticed that some fibulae of her second group have a larger number of bird-heads (as many as eight in the case of the Kuz'minki fibula, Fig. 2: 21) than fibulae of the first group (e.g., Smorodino and an unknown location in the Middle Dnieper region, both with only five bird heads, Fig. 2: 29 and Fig. 3: 39). However, Rodinkova did not notice that the headplate crowns with five bird heads are themselves imitations of bow fibulae from the Danube region dated to the sixth century, such as that from the Fleissig collection of the National Museum of History in Budapest or the fragment from Orlea, which Joachim Werner treated as a specimen of his class I A (Werner 1950, 151 and pl. 27: 3; Csallany 1961, pl. 215: 6; Teodor 1992, 142 and fig. 7: 2). (5) It is perhaps worth mentioning that a fibula from Nea Anchialos (Greece), which belongs to Werner's class I B, has a crown of seven equal, highly stylized bird heads very similar to those on the Orlea fibula or on the specimen from the Fleissig collection (Curta 1994, 242; 2005, 135). Bird-head crowns on the headplate also appear on other fibulae, such as the pair from grave 87 in Suuk Su (Korzukhina 1996, 424 and 702, pl. 112: 3, 4), which display a rectangle with reticulated decoration in the middle of the foot-plate-a typical feature of Werner's class II B (Curta 2009). Despite Werner and Rodinkova's claims to the contrary, bird-head crowns are therefore not the exclusive feature of class II D. [FIGURE 2 OMITTED] [FIGURE 3 OMITTED] At a close examination that class contains five variants of headplate (1A-E) and five of footplate (2A-E); four variants of bow (3A-D); three variants of bird+head crowns (4A-C); and six variants of terminal lobes (5A-F) (Figs 4-5). As each one of those variables appears to be independent from the others, the traditional classifications employed by Joachim Werner and Vlasta Rodinkova failed to account for the whole range of variability within the class, which explains the occasional inclusion of specimens from very different classes. …

Cloths of Civilisation: Kain Timur in the Bird's Head of West Papua

This article presents a diachronic perspective on the exchange of cloths (kain timur) and the transformations in their importance over time with social and political changes in the Bird's Head region of the province of West Papua. Providing insight into the transformations in kain timur exchange sheds light on the history of the region, long characterised by influences from other islands in Eastern Indonesia while simultaneously displaying distinctly Papuan cultural and linguistic features. The exchange of kain timur has evolved amid colonial and post-colonial influences such as missionisation, government administration, education, migration, and the exploitation of resources. The most prominent current meaning of the exchange of kain timur is the safeguarding of the moral community in regard to marriage practices and married life. As material objects kain timur are considered authentic cultural products that mark local identity. In contrast to other Melanesian art forms kain timur has to date attracted little attention from art collectors, anthropologists, and tourists.

Strategies of Young Pigeons during ‘Map’ Learning

The routes of young, inexperienced pigeons released at four sites up to 13·5 km from the loft were recorded with GPS-based tracking devices. The routes were found to differ from those of old, experienced pigeons in several aspects: (1) Although being oriented when departing, young birds show more scatter and larger deviations from the home direction, but usually restrict their flights to a semicircle. (2) They apparently ignore prominent landmarks near the loft that are clearly visible. (3) Their tracks are typically more complex, consisting of a number of distinctive phases where the young birds head in different directions, which results in significantly longer routes, often exceeding the direct home distances more than four times. (4) At the same time, young birds seldom venture further away from the release site than the direct distance to home. Their behaviour can be interpreted as exploration to obtain new information on the distribution of navigational factors to be included in their still rudimentary navigational ‘map’. At the same time, their flights seem to include elements of safety, like anchoring the flights around the release site and a sense of distance, which help to reduce the chance of getting lost.

A grammar of Maybrat: A language of the Bird's Head Peninsula, Papua Province, Indonesia (review)

A grammar of Maybrat: A language of the Bird's Head Peninsula, Papua Province, Indonesia (review)

On Suffering, and: The Gulf, and: He Asks the New Owner to Look After His Trees, and: Kandahar, and: The Man With a Bird's Head

On Suffering, and: The Gulf, and: He Asks the New Owner to Look After His Trees, and: Kandahar, and: The Man With a Bird's Head

The Man With a Bird's Head

The Man With a Bird's Head

THE COMING OF ISLAM AND MOLUCCAN-MALAY CULTURE TO NEW GUINEA c.1500–1920*

This article deals with a neglected portion of the history of Islam in the Indonesian archipelago. According to European sources from the 16th and 17th centuries, Islam was found mainly in the Raja Ampat Islands which were under the suzerainty of the sultanate of Tidore. Tidore played a major role in spreading Islam to the coastal regions of northern New Guinea; it claimed suzerainty over coastal New Guinea, especially Bird's Head Peninsula, and demanded tributes until the late 19th century. Regular expeditions of Muslim traders and bird hunters into the region led to more intensive contact between Muslims and local populations, the growth of Muslim settlements and religious conversion among the locals. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Onin Peninsula was regularly visited by traders and slave raiders from the Geser-Gorom Islands, with similar patterns of interaction as occurred in the Bird's Head. By drawing on an array of contemporary European accounts, this article illustrates how and when Islam came to coastal New Guinea from the 18th to early 20th centuries.

The Ecology And Distribution Of Freycinetia Gaud. (Pandanaceae; Freycinetoideae) In The Indonesian New Guinea

SINAGA, N. I., MEGIA, R., HARTANA, A., KEIM, A. P. Ecology and distribution of Freycinetia Gaud. (Pandanaceae; Freycinetoidea) in Indonesian New Guinea. Reinwardtia 13(2): 189-197. - The study mainly concerns with the species of Freycinetia that occurs in the Indonesian New Guinea, including the provinces of Papua and Papua Barat. The study indicates that almost all species of Freycinetia in the Indonesian New Guinea prefer high humidity and abundantly occur along rivers, except for the members of the group of species with imbricate leaves, which inhabit also secondary forests. Futhermore, the members of this group have never been found within the range of 1700 to 3000 m altitudes. This highest range of altitudes is specifically occupied by the members of the groups of species with semi imbricate and grass-like leaves. The costal forests are inhabited by the groups of species with semi and non imbricate leaves. Indonesian New Guinea shares many species with Papua New Guinea, except for the members of the group of species with semi imbricate leaves, which are more common in Indonesian New Guinea than in Papua New Guinea. On the contrary, the members of the group of species with grass-like leaves are more common in Papua New Guinea and becoming rare toward the Indonesian site and becoming absent in the Vogelklop (Bird's head), except for F. polyclada which is commonly found in Sorong. Indonesian New Guinea possesses 34 species exclusively distributed in the area, while Papua New Guinea has 72 species. The two areas share 52 species. Only five species have extra New Guinean distributions, i.e. F. excelsa, F. funicularis, F. marginata, F. percostata, and F. scandens.

The place of nature in Godard's late films

The place of nature in Godard's late films

Analisis Potensi Unggulan Kabupaten Kepulauan Yapen dalam Menopang Pembangunan Provinsi Papua Tahun 2004-2008

Regency Kepulauan Yapen is a new regency as a result of regional separation and is located in the area which is very closely to the neck of the bird head of Papua Province. An economic development strategy of a region must be able to identify all economic potencies of the region. Using analyses of MRP, Shift Share, LQ, Overlay and Klassen Typology, this research explores the economic potencies of Regency Kepulauan Yapen. This research reveals that the Regency has economic advantages in most sectors, except those of mining and manufacturing industries. The most advantageous sectors are those of services, finance, service companies, and construction. Other advantageous sectors are those supporting tourist industries, such as trade, hotel and restaurants. Keywords: economic development, economic potencies, advantages.

Comparative morphology of the optic nerve in nocturnal and diurnal birds

Nocturnal and diurnal birds exhibit differences in retinal wiring, specifically with regard to "retinal pooling," or the number of photoreceptor cells providing information to a single ganglion cell in the retina. Diurnal birds have low retinal pooling, which acts to increase acuity, since each photoreceptor cell is responsible for a proportional angle of visual space. Nocturnal birds have high retinal pooling; if multiple photoreceptors provide information to a single ganglion cell, light sensitivity is increased. The optic nerve (CN II) is comprised of the ganglion cell axons delivering visual information to the brain. This study tests the hypothesis that nocturnal birds consistently exhibit a smaller optic nerve and chiasm than diurnal birds, based on area measurements. Whole bird heads are preserved in 4% paraformaldehyde, and the optic nerve and chiasm are dissected and mounted in modeling clay and photographed. Areas are measured from the photographs in SigmaScan. ANOVA and regression analysis of the comparative size of the optic nerve supports our hypothesis that nocturnal birds have consistently smaller optic nerve and optic chiasm areas.Grant Funding SourceAAA Student Travel Award

Bird head stabilization

Bird head stabilization

Delineating the Coral Triangle

Spatial analyses of coral distributions at spe- cies level delineate the Coral Triangle and provide new insights into patterns of diversity and endemism around the globe. This study shows that the Coral Triangle, an area extending from the Philippines to the Solomon Islands, has 605 zooxanthellate corals including 15 re- gional endemics. This amounts to 76% of the world's total species complement, giving this province the world's highest conservation priority. Within the Coral Triangle, highest richness resides in the Bird's Head Peninsula of Indonesian Papua which hosts 574 species, with indi- vidual reefs supporting up to 280 species ha -1 . Reasons for the exceptional richness of the Coral Triangle include the geological setting, physical environment and an ar- ray of ecological processes. These findings, supported by parallel distributions of reef fishes and other taxa, provide a clear scientific justification for the Coral Triangle Ini- tiative, arguably one of the world's most significant reef conservation undertakings.

ANCAMAN DAN KEPUNAHAN BURUNG MAMBRUK POLOS Goura cristata DI BAGIAN TIMUR KEPALA BURUNG (VOGELKOP) IRIAN JAYA BARAT

<p><em>The three species of “mambruk” (crowned pidgeons) are endemic to New Guinea (Irian Jaya and the Papua Nugini). The species are listed in CITES as vulnerable. In Indonesia the species are protected by law, but in the field they are still being hunted. There fore, the threat and extinction of the species was observed on five location in the Birds Head Region of Papua. The observation indicated thet there was only are location was the estuary of Warmiseru and Suandei Lagoon where the spesies were relativety observed.</em></p>

Patterns of Y-Chromosome Diversity Intersect with the Trans-New Guinea Hypothesis

The island of New Guinea received part of the first human expansion out of Africa (>40,000 years ago), but its human genetic history remains poorly understood. In this study, we examined Y-chromosome diversity in 162 samples from the Bird's Head region of northwest New Guinea (NWNG) and compared the results with previously obtained data from other parts of the island. NWNG harbors a high level of cultural and linguistic diversity and is inhabited by non-Austronesian (i.e., Papuan)-speaking groups as well as harboring most of West New Guinea's (WNG) Austronesian-speaking groups. However, 97.5% of its Y-chromosomes belong to 5 haplogroups that originated in Melanesia; hence, the Y-chromosome diversity of NWNG (and, according to available data, of New Guinea as a whole) essentially reflects a local history. The remaining 2.5% belong to 2 haplogroups (O-M119 and O-M122) of East Asian origin, which were brought to New Guinea by Austronesian-speaking migrants around 3,500 years ago. Thus, the Austronesian expansion had only a small impact on shaping Y-chromosome diversity in NWNG, although the linguistic impact of this expansion to this region was much higher. In contrast, the expansion of Trans-New Guinea (TNG) speakers (non-Austronesian) starting about 6,000-10,000 years ago from the central highlands of what is now Papua New Guinea, presumably in combination with the expansion of agriculture, played a more important role in determining the Y-chromosome diversity of New Guinea. In particular, we identified 2 haplogroups (M-P34 and K-M254) as suggestive markers for the TNG expansion, whereas 2 other haplogroups (C-M38 and K-M9) most likely reflect the earlier local Y-chromosome diversity. We propose that sex-biased differences in the social structure and cultural heritage of the people involved in the Austronesian and the TNG expansions played an important role (among other factors) in shaping the New Guinean Y-chromosome landscape.

Post-Nesting Migrations of Leatherback Turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) from Jamursba-Medi, Bird's Head Peninsula, Indonesia

ABSTRACT Nine leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) were tracked for 111–695 days via satellite telemetry from one of the largest remaining western Pacific leatherback turtle nesting beaches, Jamursba-Medi, Papua, Indonesia. The turtles moved into tropical waters of the Philippines and Malaysia, into the Sea of Japan, and across the equatorial Pacific to temperate waters off North America. This study provides the first record of a trans-Pacific migration by a leatherback turtle.

Status and Genetic Structure of Nesting Populations of Leatherback Turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in the Western Pacific

ABSTRACT A group of researchers, managers, and tribal leaders with extensive local knowledge from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Papua, Indonesia, provided new information on the status of leatherback nesting populations in the western Pacific Ocean. Twenty-eight nesting sites were identified, of which 21 were previously unknown or poorly described. Although data are still incomplete, we estimate a total of ca. 5000–9200 nests currently laid each year among these 28 sites, with approximately 75% of this nesting activity concentrated at 4 sites along the northwest coast (Bird's Head Peninsula) of Papua, Indonesia. Genetic analysis by using mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid sequences identified a total of 6 haplotypes among the 106 samples analyzed for Solomon Islands, Papua, and Papua New Guinea, including a unique common haplotype that is only found in these western Pacific populations. There was no significant difference in haplotype frequencies among these rookeries, which suggests th...

Development of head movement propensity in 4–15 year old children in response to visual step stimuli

Head movement frequency of children in response to horizontal step stimulus is investigated. The aim is to determine if there is a correlation between the age of the child and the frequency of head movements made to visual step stimuli presented at a fixed distance. Also of importance is whether there is a period of rapid change in the frequency of head movements, and if so, what factors could be influencing this change. Seventy-three participants, between the ages of 4 and 15 years were requested to "look at a spot of light" in response to step stimuli which varied in size from 5 to 60 degrees. Eye and head movements were recorded with a video based eye tracker (EL-Mar 2020) equipped with a Flock of Birds head tracker. Frequency of head movements was calculated for each participant and averaged across participants for each age group. Average head movement frequency was then plotted as a function of age. The frequency and variability of head movements decreases as a function of age. This decrease is linear between the ages of 4 and 15 years (y = -1.465x + 22.58; R(2) = 0.4378; F = 26.48; P < 0.0001). More head movements are made in response to larger step sizes than to smaller ones for all ages. The gradual decrease in frequency of head movements in response to step stimuli suggests that a specific environmental event, such as reading, is not the cause of the decline. Improved efficiency of eye movements could be due to pre-programmed factors related to neurological development. Alternatively, cognitive factors may be involved. Children may actually learn that utilizing their head for gaze shifts is more energy and time consuming, than merely using the eyes alone.

Eye to Eye

Eye to Eye Kirsten Whatley (bio) I duck into the tepee and squeeze among figures crouched together on the dirt floor. The tepee isn't finished yet. Slats of thin sunlight steal through the open bark, an odd pallor washing the young faces beside me. Most are boys in their late teens, novice hunters who've been chasing down the small animals and rodents that live in the underbrush nearby. This is day seven of Wilderness Survival Training: berry picking and nut collecting, animal tracking and slingshot making. The boys have been impatient all week, disappearing into the woods with their new arrows and traps, searching for live alternatives to our decoys and fake targets. My eyes scan the circle in the half-light for our teacher, Steve. Then they stop at the metal cage in the center. A chicken thrashes around inside it, a blur of brown and green feathers; panicked, darting eyes. Steve hasn't told us why we're in here. He's only asked for a show of hands from those who've never seen an animal killed. There is only one of us. The boy, Danny, is soft spoken. I remember he helped me when I was trying to draw fire from a stick, blowing on the wisps of smoke escaping from my furious fingers, and then a semblance of a flame emerged and I clapped and forgot to keep going, and the flame died instantly. He sits quietly now at Steve's right, his eyes riveted on the chicken. It's where all our eyes meet, where a collective silence falls, the only sound being wings and feet and beak in rough contact with the cage. Steve tells us the story of his first hunt: a frenzied rush of power, a shot, shouts in the air, and the rabbit's eyes—blue fright melting to silver vacancy, its tiny legs buckling, flesh crumbling to the ground. Silence. In that moment, Steve had raced to the bushes and, with a spinning head, threw up. He hadn't known the shock of seeing a life evaporate before him. But he's convinced he could have never pulled the trigger without [End Page 136] that surge of adrenaline, of power, an almost animalistic savagery rather than the attention of a human being. "To take life you have to honor life," he is saying now. "You have to meet it in the eye, in the heart, recognize you share the same life, the same air." Steve lifts the lock to the cage. He thrusts his arm inside and grasps the terrified bird, sweeps it out, and holds it close to his body. "You have to act with intention." He strokes the brilliant feathers, brown and green and black and, in some places, almost violet. He drops his voice, talks in measured tones. My heart hurts in my chest. Steve turns to Danny, who looks so young and vulnerable there, hunched down in the shadows. I wonder if his skin prickles with fear like mine does. Danny takes the creature with fumbling fingers and cradles it like Steve has done—Steve, who's still talking in an even monotone, almost a whisper. "Can you feel his heart?" Danny nods. "Match it to yours. Slow down the beat. Tell him you respect his life, and yours. Talk to him—doesn't have to be out loud. But don't stop talking." Danny closes his eyes. His lips are barely moving. After a few moments, the bird seems to calm in its struggle and now looks strangely like Danny's pet, like they belong to one another. "When you're ready . . ." Steve's voice seems to echo from deep inside my body while Danny's eyes open. "Like this." Steve makes a quick motion with his hands, wringing an invisible life out of the universe. I steady myself and watch Danny's chest heave with an audible breath, as if he's about to jump into a lake whose bottom he can't see. Before he can exhale, his hands flash, then tighten; they release. The bird's head falls limp, his gaze locking somewhere beyond our circle, somewhere beyond the...

Bird Heads and Toes

Bird Heads and Toes