Exploitation Of Birds Research Articles

Neanderthal exploitation of birds in north-western Europe: Avian remains from Scladina Cave (Belgium)

Neanderthal exploitation of birds in north-western Europe: Avian remains from Scladina Cave (Belgium)

Bird Exploitation and Chicken Size in the Late Medieval and Early Modern Periods in Continental Croatia

The significance of birds in the medieval human diet has been greatly explored in Europe. However, there is a lack of systematic analysis of data from Croatia. Avian remains dated to the Late Medieval and Early Modern Periods from five archaeological sites in continental Croatia underwent skeletal and taxonomic analysis. Age groups were determined and sex identification was conducted using visual and X-ray diagnostics. Chicken bone measurements were taken, and the logarithmic size index (LSI) technique was performed. Statistical analysis was applied to explore differences between sites. A total of 694 avian remains were studied, revealing 10 species/genera. Avian remains ranged from 8.88% to 20.32% across sites, with the highest percentage found at the urban site BAN. Hens outnumbered cockerels across all sites, with adult chickens prevailing over immature and subadult ones. Chicken sizes were generally consistent across sites, except for castle MIL, where a larger breed was identified. Cockerels tended to be larger than hens, except for one small-sized spurred specimen. To conclude, bird exploitation complemented the use of other animals in diets. Chickens were vital for eggs and meat, with monasteries excelling in bird husbandry over castles. Inhabitants of urban areas mainly consumed bird meat. Castles showed high status through game and imported birds. The aim of this article was to fill in the gap of information regarding the exploitation and consumption of birds at Croatian sites during the Late Medieval and Early Modern Periods.

Distinct modes and intensity of bird exploitation at the dawn of agriculture in the Upper Euphrates and Tigris River basins

Early Neolithic avifaunas excavated at the sites of Göbekli Tepe and Gusir Höyük illustrate two entirely different modes of bird exploitation in south-eastern Anatolia during the 10th and 9th millennia BCE, which prompted us the re-evaluation of other substantial bird bone assemblages from contemporaneous sites in the upper basins of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. We thus compared the range and diversity of species captured, seasonal aspects of bird hunting, and types of habitats exploited by Near Eastern communities of foragers at the dawn of agriculture. Fowling practices in the Upper Euphrates catchment aimed at multiple avifaunal resources in varied habitats explaining high taxonomic diversity in the respective assemblages. Overall, the proportions of birds, mammals and fish in the diet were similar in all sites. In contrast, meat diet in the Upper Tigris River basin proved less culturally uniform. The contribution of birds, fish and mammals to the diet varied significantly between sites. Our study also showed that avifaunal diversity was very low at some sites in the Tigris basin suggesting an overall limited interest and time commitment to this economic activity there. An intensification of bird hunting in autumn and winter was observed in both areas.

Zooarchaeological evidence for the exploitation of birds in medieval and early modern Estonia (ca 1200–1800)

Zooarchaeological evidence for the exploitation of birds in medieval and early modern Estonia (ca 1200–1800)

Bird remains from ecclesiastical sites in medieval Hungary

AbstractThis comprehensive paper, based on already published avian material, provides an overview of the exploitation of birds at ecclesiastical settlements in medieval Hungary, with an outlook on other European religious establishments. Owing also to the differences in excavation methods, sample size, and measurements used during the identification of bird remains, the seven discussed ecclesiastical sites in the Carpathian Basin, which was part of the Hungarian Kingdom during the Middle Ages, showed considerable variability from this point of view. It is certain that poultry constituted the lion's share of the bird meat consumed, even in the wealthiest religious houses, such as bishopric centers. The presence of sexed specimens in some of these bone collections made it possible to distinguish between a small and a large phenotype of domestic chicken based on biometric data. However, in cases when finds were not only collected by hand but the food refuse deposit was also screened, one finds that these assemblages are both quantitatively and qualitatively more varied in terms of the presence and frequency of certain taxa including small game, suggesting the value and special role of (wild) fowl at ecclesiastical establishments. The avian remains that suggest the use of trained birds, as well as the evidence for the use and curation of crossbows, contribute to our knowledge about the hunting and fowling customs at certain religious houses.

Night Capture of Roosting Cave Birds by Neanderthals: An Actualistic Approach

Evidence is accumulating on the regular and systematic Neanderthal exploitation of birds. However, the motivations, mechanisms, and circumstances underlying this behavior remains little explored despite their potential implications on Neanderthal ecology and capabilities. Fossil remains of choughs (Pyrrhocorax, Corvidae) are among the most abundant in cave sites with Mousterian technology. We reviewed the evidence showing that Neanderthals processed choughs for food, and confirmed that it occurred frequently over a widespread spatial and temporal scale. This lead us to propose the hypothesis that the cave-like refuge is the keystone resource connecting Neanderthals and choughs captured at night in rocky shelters eventually used by both species. By adopting an actualistic approach, we documented the patterns of refuge use and population dynamics of communally roosting choughs, the strategies and technology currently used to capture them, and their behavioral response against experimental human predators at night. Actualistic experiments showed that large numbers of choughs can be captured without highly sophisticated tools at night regularly and periodically, due to their occupation year-round during long-term periods of the same nocturnal shelters, the constant turnover of individuals, and their high site tenacity at these roost-sites even after recurrent disturbance and predation. Captures even with bare hands are further facilitated because choughs tend to flee confused into the cavity in darkness when dazzled and cornered by human (experimental) predators. Given the extreme difficulty of daylight chough capturing in open country, nocturnal hunting with the help of fire in the roosting caves and consumption in situ are proposed as the most plausible explanations for the strong association of choughs and Neanderthals in fossil assemblages. Night hunting of birds has implications for the social, anatomical, technological, and cognitive capacities of Neanderthals.

Remains of Birds from the Northwest Black Sea Ancient Settlements

ABSTRACT The article presents the results of the identification of 1051 bird remains from the ancient layers of the 12 settlements from the Northern Black Sea coast. Zooarchaeological finds described in the work date to the sixth century BC through the fourth century AD. The data allowed researchers to specify features of bird exploitation by the inhabitants of the region. In particular, we established that, hunted birds dominated over domestic species in the diet of inhabitants of large settlements. However, previous publications on the results of mammalian studies suggested that hunting did not play a significant role, but was rather an entertainment. We also found that the inhabitants of small settlements consumed more poultry than wild species of birds. The earlier reports about the discovery of pheasant's remains in the ancient layers of the Northern Black Sea Coast were refuted. The report presents the bone of the chicken with osteopetrosis, which appears as the most eastern evidence of the disease in the archaeological records in Europe. Some changes were discovered in the avifauna. The primary changes took place during the Hellenistic time (350–200 BC), when the region experienced a reduction in species diversity. We assume that the changes in fauna are a consequence of the climatic shifts which took place in the Roman Warm Period.

The Bronze Age birds in Greece. A zooarchaeological perspective

Bird bones are rare finds in Bronze Age excavations in Greece, though, the presence of bird representations in art of the same period is remarkable. This paper examines this paradox from a zooarchaeological perspective. It records and presents the osteological evidence for bird exploitation by Bronze Age communities in Greece and examines the characteristics of the bird bone assemblages, emphasizing the need for nuance and methodological rigor in interpreting these data. This evidence is then viewed against the contemporary birds’ representations record from the same area. From such a comparative approach, a number of similarities and differences emerge regarding the intensity of human-bird interactions, the preferred bird types or the significance of particular types of birds across the study area. Further study of these discrepancies may offer a better understanding of the role of birds in Bronze Age Aegean.

Birds at the Teutonic Order's castles in Prussia (Poland)

The article is the first presentation of detailed research of bird bones from six Teutonic Order castles built in the 13th century in the historical territory of Prussia, mainly in Terra Culmensis – the Kulmerland. The aim was to assess diachronic trends in bird exploitation at these sites. 28 different species were identified within the three historical periods represented in the occupation phases of these castles – the Pre-Teutonic Order or early medieval period, the Teutonic Order's period of rule and that of the Kingdom of Poland. The most numerous were domestic fowl (chicken) and geese, and their anatomical composition, age, sex and biometrics are described. A small percentage consists of wild species. The significance of birds for the castle elites in all periods was assessed through a comparison of archaeo-ornithological and historical data. The bird remains (and eggshells) from these castles largely represent the waste from food preparation, but some can be connected with hawking, the use of feathers and down, as well as for particular species kept for ornamental purposes. All of these are defining characteristics of high-status sites in the medieval and early modern periods.

The role of birds in Upper Palaeolithic sites: Zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of the avian remains from Arbreda Cave (Serinyà, northeast Iberia)

Intensification in the procurement of small game, including different taxa of birds, has been proposed as one of the indicators of dietary shifts occurring in western Mediterranean regions during the Upper Palaeolithic as a consequence of both increased human hunting pressures and environmental change. In this paper, avian remains recovered from the Upper Palaeolithic levels of Arbreda Cave (Serinyà, northeast Iberia) are analysed. Our results evidence a high diversity of bird taxa in most levels, with the presence of a minimum of 50 species, including birds that inhabit a variety of biotopes such as cliffs, rivers and wetlands, and open grassland, along with coniferous and mixed forests.Taphonomic analysis of the bird bones from all levels indicates a mixed origin for the material, humans being one of the agents responsible for the accumulations. The results show that birds were caught for consumption. However, wing feathers and phalanges were also extracted, probably for ornamental or ceremonial purposes. A significant number of tooth/beak-marked bones and digested remains also evidence the participation of different species of raptors and, to a lesser degree, of small terrestrial carnivores in creating these assemblages. Finally, some birds died naturally and were then incorporated into the archaeological record.This study contributes to the discussion of the importance of the exploitation of birds by hunter-gatherers during the Upper Palaeolithic in the region.

Bird exploitation in Viljandi (Estonia) from the Late Iron Age to the early modern period (c. 950–1700)

This paper examines archaeological bird bones from Viljandi – one of the strongest centres in prehistoric and medieval Estonia – and covers material from the Late Iron Age to Early Modern Period, c. 950–1700. Over 5000 bird bones were analysed in this study. Our main aim was to explore the role of birds in people's diet and its relevance to social status, but also to explore the birds' habitats and environmental background, including commensalism and seasonal occurrence. This study highlighted differences between the four areas of Viljandi – the prehistoric rural settlement, historic castle, town, and suburb. We discuss diachronic trends in the utilisation of birds in these areas, largely determined by the 13th century Baltic Crusades and the transition from the Prehistoric to the Middle Ages, but also by population expansion and the social divergence that followed. In Prehistory, we witnessed more chicken exploitation, while wild birds seem to have played a smaller role. In the Historic Period, on the contrary, the utilised species are more diverse – probably to manifest social status. The main use of birds was for meat, eggs, and other products. Some species might have been used for hawking.

Bird Bone Remains from Two Medieval Settlements in Debrecen (Eastern Hungary)

This paper presents results on three medieval avian bone assemblages found at Debrecen-Monostor-erdő and Debrecen-Tócó-part, respectively. Domestic chicken yielded most of the bird remains to evidence the exploitation of adult birds for egg production and flock maintenance in particular. In addition, feather harvesting and fat production could have been the target of goose (and possibly duck) husbandry. Although the goose bone sizes resemble the greylag goose, the keeping of an unimproved form of domestic goose rather than the hunting of the wild ancestor is suggested by the structure of the assemblage and the presence of healed bones. Wild birds seem to have been rarely consumed by the settlers of the two villages, but the feathers or wings or carcasses of diurnal birds of prey and crows may have been used for special purposes. Either killed for their symbolic meaning or only persecuted for protecting the backyard animals, the red kite (Milvus milvus) and the hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) represent new species for the medieval avifauna of Hungary, similarly to the Northern shoveler (Anas clypeata) and the Northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) that could have been hunted in the marshy environment provided by the Tócó creek. Moreover, the use of trained saker falcon(Falco cherrug)for hawking cannot be excluded either. In addition to the exploitation of birds for the abovementioned goods and values, two needle cases made from goose bones evidence the utilization of their skeletal parts as raw material for producing artefacts as well.

Birds in Transition: Bird Exploitation in the Southern Levant During the Late Bronze Age, Iron Age I, and Iron Age II

Birds and the exploitation of birds by humans are typically overlooked in archaeofaunal collections. While the frequency of avian remains does not rival those of domestic livestock, that does not render them insignificant in the overall animal economies of Levantine sites. Birds and humans have a long history in the southern Levant, from prehistoric food source to sacrificial offering. Avian remains have been identified, in all periods, at many sites throughout the southern Levant, allowing for an in-depth diachronic exploration to be conducted. This paper tracks the presence and frequency of major avian species—specifically geese, ducks, partridges, pigeons, and doves—in light of changes that occurred in climate, environment, agriculture, trade, and the geopolitical landscape, as well as processes of cultural emulation and cultic influence that took place in the southern Levant during the Late Bronze Age, Iron Age I, and Iron Age II. The key foci will be on the role of geese in cultural emulation, pigeons as sacrificial offerings, waterfowl affected by climate change, and the differences between local vs. import exploitation of birds.

Bird exploitation in an Early Anglo-Saxon community: Taxonomic and biometrical investigations at West Stow

This paper focusses on the bird remains from West Stow, a renowned Early Anglo-Saxon site in southeast Britain. The evidence provided by the frequency of species, ageing, sexing, and biometrical analyses has been integrated to investigate changes and continuities in the exploitation of domestic and wild birds at the settlement. Domestic birds dominate the assemblage. The management of chicken probably became more structured and efficient after the first phase of settlement. Intra-site and regional comparisons of biometrical data suggest the improvement in chicken size, achieved under the Romans, was maintained by Early Anglo-Saxon communities.

Bird bones from Trou de Chaleux and the human exploitation of birds during the late Magdalenian in Belgium

The Trou de Chaleux is a cave site located in Belgium. It delivered a rich late Magdalenian material culture constituted mainly of lithic artefacts but also including bone industries and figurative art. This paper presents the results of the analysis of the large collection of bird remains recovered by E. Dupont in 1865, which was yet unstudied from taphonomical and archaeozoological perspectives. In addition to the taxonomic identification, surface alterations were investigated based on a macro- and microscopic analysis, including an analysis of wear traces and elementary composition. Special attention is devoted to the presence of human modifications such as disarticulation or butchering marks, traces of heating, presence of colourants and traces of bone working. The taphonomic history of the bird assemblage is reconstructed and the use of birds by humans characterized, as well as their importance in past human activities. We also discuss evidence for seasonal exploitation and for reconstructing the local environment and integrate our results with evidence from other Magdalenian assemblages from north-western Europe. At Trou de Chaleux, birds were used for food, as raw material for bone working and for symbolic purposes. The exploitation of avian products was intense, and species have been used for several purposes such as the raven and snowy owl having been exploited both for food and for symbolic reasons. Large bird bones were used as raw material to produce artefacts, but the use-wear analysis did not evidence unambiguous traces related to the use of the objects produced. Despite several limiting factors, the bird material from Trou de Chaleux considerably increases the knowledge of past human exploitation of birds during the late Magdalenian in north-western Europe.

Hunting of Steppe Nomads of the Pontic Region in the Early Iron Age

Hunting is the oldest kind of human activity preserving traditional forms due to its conservatism. Paleozoologists working in the Northern Black Sea region determined the objects of hunting according to the data obtained from Greek settlements. These are mainly hoofed animals such as deer, roe deer, saigas, and wild boars, and fur animals including hares, foxes, beavers, as well as a variety of birds. According to paleozoological data, hunting was elitist. Unfortunately, it was not taken into account that inhabitants of the settlements hunted in the steppes of foreign lands, and delivered not carcasses of killed animals, but skins and meat. Therefore, skeletal remains cannot objectively reflect the proportions of distribution of hunting objects. Studying ancient texts and toreutics allows us to establish that in the Scythian nomadic world there were such types of hunting as raid, driven hunting, hunting with hounds. It is reasonable to assume that Scythians also utilized hunting birds as their hunting method, as images of hunting birds are widespread among nomads. In the settlements, there can be found skeletal remains of the following hunting birds: saker falcons, golden eagles, gyrfalcons, hawks, etc. Frequent occurrence of their images in the Scythian art and a single case of a saker falcon buried in a male burial of Elizabeth’s burial ground can serve as a vivid example of hunting bird exploitation. Nomads, in particular, could be suppliers of wild animal meat to the settlement and city markets. Inhabitants’ independent hunting in steppes was of extraordinary characteristic. Inhabitants of the settlements could probably hunt outside the fortifications only after the agreement with local nomads.

La presencia de aves en el registro arqueológico de la costa norte de Santa Cruz

En este trabajo analizamos el rol que jugaron las aves en la subsistencia de las antiguas poblaciones que habitaron la costa norte de Santa Cruz, tanto en relación con su uso como alimento como materia prima para confeccionar instrumentos. De esta forma, exploramos tendencias espaciales entre distintos sitios y sectores de nuestra área de estudio y temporales en la explotación de las aves. Para ello, ordenamos y sistematizamos toda la información de los conjuntos arqueofaunísticos estudiados a lo largo de los años. De esta forma, comprobamos que existe una importante variabilidad en la representación porcentual de las aves del registro arqueológico del área de estudio. Los taxones más comunes son los cormoranes, albatros y pingüinos de Magallanes. Se destacan las localidades arqueológicas Cabo Blanco y Bahía del Oso Marino en las que existen conjuntos avifaunísticos significativos que evidencian la explotación intensiva de cormoranes y albatros respectivamente; mientras que no parece existir una tendencia concluyente en cuanto a cambios a lo largo del tiempo en la explotación de las aves. Por último, la importancia de las aves trasciende su aporte alimenticio, ya que también existen instrumentos y artefactos decorados confeccionados con huesos de aves.

Archeozoology and taphonomy of bird remains from Grotta di Castelcivita (Salerno, Italy) and clues for human-bird interactions

Grotta di Castelcivita (Campania, Southern Italy) is a cave-site containing a key archaeological sequence for the study of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in Southern Italy. A Late Mousterian occupation, whose modelled dates span from 47.6 to 41.1 ka cal BP, is followed by layers bearing evidence of the Uluzzian techno-complex, which underlie an articulated Protoaurignacian sequence. The prehistoric deposit is sealed by volcanic sediments attributed to the Campanian Ignimbrite (dated to 39.85 ± 0.14 ka BP), which represent a terminus ante quem for the Palaeolithic occupation of the cave. We present here the study of the avifauna collected during the excavations carried out at Castelcivita by the University of Siena in the years 1975–88. The examined sample is composed of 631 specimens, out of which 486 have been identified according to species, genus, family or order. Bird remains belong to 36 species and at least to 175 individuals. In the Late Mousterian the abundance of species adapted to open environments indicates a cool-temperate climate; water birds, and wood and forest birds are present as well. During the Uluzzian a shift towards colder climatic conditions is testified by the increase in steppe grassland species. In the Protoaurignacian the presence of birds of open and dry environments is more marked, even if climate seems to shift toward milder conditions at the end of this phase. Taphonomic analyses have provided significant evidence for the exploitation of birds by humans across the whole sequence. Clues of human activity on bird remains are attested both in the Mousterian and, more rarely, in the Protoaurignacian by traces, possibly indicating the intentional removal of feathers (in the Mousterian) and other kinds of carcass manipulation. The Uluzzian sample is the richest in human modifications. Some of them are related to an interest for feathers (on Pyrrhocorax graculus, Falco subbuteo and an Accipitriformes of large size). Other modifications (fresh bone fractures, burnt bones, peeling, arrachement) testify to carcass treatments of Galliformes, Anseriformes, Columbiformes, Charadriiformes and Passeriformes. In the Protoaurignacian traces due to anthropogenic activity are rare and there is an increase in bone modifications caused by carnivores. Results allow us to assume that at Castelcivita humans consistently hunted birds for several purposes and exploited (especially during the Uluzzian) some species to acquire an exclusive and ethnographically well-documented resource such as feathers.

Birds in Medieval Norway

Whilst modern avian distributions in Scandinavia are well studied, how past events and processes have shaped modern bird communities in the region remains poorly known. This is mainly due to the fact that work on post-glacial avian assemblages has been done mostly from an archaeological perspective, and on a site-specific basis. Therefore, in order to understand the history of bird species in Scandinavia, there is a clear need to collate data on the past occurrences and abundance of birds within the region. Here we present data on the presence of bird species within 21 Norwegian Medieval (1030–1537 CE) assemblages. Despite climatic fluctuations and the rise of urban centres, our re-examination and compilation of bird bone assemblages from Medieval Norway found no evidence to suggest that the Medieval bird fauna differed from the modern one. The most common birds in Medieval assemblages are Galliformes. In urban sites these are mostly domestic fowl, whereas on rural sites wild species are dominant. Our data indicates an introduction of domestic fowl in the early Medieval period and a slightly delayed introduction of domestic geese, with both species becoming more abundant during the mid to late Medieval period. This appears to be later than other Scandinavian countries. Interestingly, species that are now ubiquitous in urban areas, such as pigeons, corvids and gulls are mostly absent from Medieval urban centres. In addition, we found a bias towards the use of female Accipiter gentilis in falconry, while Falco species may have been exported. This is the first time that data on past avian occurrences for any period are reviewed and collated for Norway. In addition, our work highlights the importance of birds and bird exploitation in Medieval Norway.

Characterization of bone surface modifications on an Early to Middle Pleistocene bird assemblage from Mata Menge (Flores, Indonesia) using multifocus and confocal microscopy

Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) is a key region for the study of human evolution. New fossil and archaeological evidence, from several islands, suggests an Early to Middle Pleistocene colonisation date by hominins. A taphonomic framework, however, such as that exists for Africa, is currently lacking, and taphonomical studies of ISEA vertebrate assemblages are very limited. In this paper, we apply multifocus and confocal microscopy to surface modifications on an Early to Middle Pleistocene avian assemblage from Mata Menge, in the So'a Basin of central Flores, Indonesia, with the aim of characterizing material and testing the relevance of 3D reconstructions to study the taphonomy of ISEA bone assemblages. Our observations document a number of bone surface modifications, including individual parallel grooves, overlapping spindle-like striations, elongated impacts, short composite grooves, and rows of pits. These features suggest that several taphonomic agents were at play during and after the accumulation of the Mata Menge small vertebrate assemblage. We find no unambiguous evidence for the exploitation of birds by the So'a Basin hominins, or for hominins being a significant accumulating agent of avian remains at Mata Menge. However, our work should be seen as preliminary, as direct comparative data on relevant biological agents are lacking. The markedly distinct faunal composition and climatic regimes of many Southeast Asian islands, and the potential use of different tools by hominins, warrants the development of a comprehensive taphonomical framework that is specifically relevant for ISEA.