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

Abstract

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.

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

“…Also, the location of punctures on long bones (near the articular ends) agrees with those made by both modern raptors and owls (see above citations) including those of the Eagle Owl from the Roman baths in Turkey (De Cupere et al 2009). The humerus was the most frequently affected bone both in Sarakenos Cave and in food remains of various species of owls and diurnal raptors.…”

“…The degree of digestion damage is much larger in remains extracted from pellets of diurnal raptors (Bochenski 2005;Lloveras et al 2014). A similar pattern of damage through digestion was also observed on Eagle Owl food remains from the Roman bath complex in Sagalassos, Turkey (De Cupere et al 2009). …”

“…The fact that remnants of many skeletal elements, including vertebrae and phalanges, were recorded at the site also indirectly supports their owl or diurnal raptor pellet origin (Bochenski 2005;Lloveras et al 2014), while the almost total lack of cranial elements suggests the Eagle Owl, which is known to decapitate its prey prior to swallowing (Glutz von Blotzheim and Bauer 1980;Bochenski et al 1993). The fragmentation of the humerus and tibiotarsus of Partridges follows the pattern produced by the Eagle Owls (De Cupere et al 2009). The proximal part of the humerus is typically cut off at its base, which coincides with the location of perforations or holes made by the owl's beak (see next paragraph).…”

“…Certainly, they differ considerably from the human food remains because leg elements in Sarakenos are in minority. Wing elements also prevailed among bird remains from the Roman bath complex in Sagalassos, Turkey, and subAtlantic deposits in the Ural Mountains-both of which were attributed to the Eagle Owl (De Cupere et al 2009;Bochenski and Nekrasov 2001, respectively). The fact that remnants of many skeletal elements, including vertebrae and phalanges, were recorded at the site also indirectly supports their owl or diurnal raptor pellet origin (Bochenski 2005;Lloveras et al 2014), while the almost total lack of cranial elements suggests the Eagle Owl, which is known to decapitate its prey prior to swallowing (Glutz von Blotzheim and Bauer 1980;Bochenski et al 1993).…”

“…The owls tend to cut off the proximal part of the humerus and tibiotarsus and leave the shaft attached to the distal parts (De Cupere et al 2009). …”