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.

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Four types of Chaffinch rain-calls were found in Ukraine: “rülsch” - a trill signal widely spread in Europe; “hui” - a whistle signal that occurs in North-Western and Central Europe; “Crimean” whistle signal known only from Crimean peninsula and “Caucasian” signal occurring in Caucasus, Asia Minor and Balkans. Sonograms of rendition versions are given for all of the call types. Distribution of dialects of Chaffinch rain-calls in Ukraine was examined. “Rülsch”- dialect occurs at most of the plane Ukraine and Carpathians. Owing to colonizing artificial afforestations in steppe zone this dialect population’s range expanded southward to the coast of the Black and Azov seas. “Hui”-dialect is spread in the Lower Danube region. At the North-Eastern Danube delta Chaffinch’s with “hui”- and “rülsch”- rain-calls are found together and a bird was found that uttered both signals alternately but hybrid signals were not registered. It may attest to recent invasion by “rülsch”- population of Chaffinch’s there. “Crimean” dialect is distributed in mountainous Crimea and in most of the Crimean steppe zone. “Caucasian” rain-call renditions are registered in cases of individual vagrant birds in eastern Crimea and Lower Danube region