Damage to Bird Bones in Pellets of GyrfalconFalco rusticolus

Bocheński, Zbigniew M.; Huhtala, Kauko; Jussila, Päivi; Pulliainen, Erkki; Tornberg, Risto; Tunkkari, Paavo S.

doi:10.1006/jasc.1997.0213

Cited by 60 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Traces of digestion in Sarakenos Cave correspond well with those made by owls (Bochenski 2005;Bochenski and Tomek 1997;Bochenski et al 1998). They are observed on articular ends of long bones and on the surface of breakages, whereas shafts are not affected.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

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

Bocheński

Tomek

Wertz

et al. 2017

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

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

Bocheński

Tomek

Wertz

et al. 2017

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Finally, it is also striking that the digestion traces occur only on the articular ends and not on the shafts of long bones. As stated, in diurnal birds these shafts are also affected (Bocheń ski et al, 1998(Bocheń ski et al, , 1999.…”

Section: Identification Of the Taphonomic Agentmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…Diurnal birds of prey have the tendency to consume their prey bite by bite, starting at the head and systematically working their way caudally. However, they often leave part of the carcass uneaten when hunger is satisfied (Dodson & Wexlar, 1979, and references therein), and this will result in an accumulation of bones without traces of digestion at the feeding place (Bocheń ski et al, 1998;Bocheń ski and Nekrasov, 2001). In addition to those unmodified remains, there are bones that show a heavier alteration compared with those deposited by owls (Andrews, 1990;Bocheń ski et al, , 1998.…”

Section: Identification Of the Taphonomic Agentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, they often leave part of the carcass uneaten when hunger is satisfied (Dodson & Wexlar, 1979, and references therein), and this will result in an accumulation of bones without traces of digestion at the feeding place (Bocheń ski et al, 1998;Bocheń ski and Nekrasov, 2001). In addition to those unmodified remains, there are bones that show a heavier alteration compared with those deposited by owls (Andrews, 1990;Bocheń ski et al, , 1998. Articular ends may dissolve completely, often leaving only shafts in the pellets of the diurnal raptors (Mayhew, 1977).…”

Section: Identification Of the Taphonomic Agentmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Eagle owl (Bubo bubo) pellets from Roman Sagalassos (SW Turkey): distinguishing the prey remains from nest and roost sites

Cupere

Thys

Neer

et al. 2008

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Two concentrations of animal bones, almost exclusively from small mammals and wild birds, were found within the destruction debris of a Roman bath complex in Sagalassos (SW Turkey). The overall species spectrum, skeletal element representation, fragmentation and preservation condition of the bones indicate that they represent the prey remains of a large nocturnal avian predator, more precisely the eagle owl (Bubo bubo). Differences in skeletal element representation and in prey species' spectrum show that the two bone clusters derive from pellets deposited near a nest site and a roost site, respectively. Radiocarbon dates obtained from the bones indicate that eagle owls lived in the collapsing bath complex during the second half of the 6th to the beginning of the 7th century AD, before the final abandonment of the town. The MNI of the prey animals found at the nest site, confronted with the daily dietary needs of a female eagle owl and its young, indicates repetitive use of the same place during several years.

show abstract

“…1-5) and applied in subsequent studies (Bochenski et al, , 1998(Bochenski et al, , 1999Bochenski and Nekrasov, 2001;Bochenski and Tomek, 1994;Bochenski and Tornberg, 2003).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 96%