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

Abstract

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.

Owl-like plaques of the Copper Age and the involvement of children

“…To gain support to our hypothesis that the slate plaques and some related objects were children dolls or toys of little ritual value that may have been crafted for young people and not necessarily by experienced artisans of the community, we establish a comparison with owls as seen by contemporary children, taking therefore an actualistic approach (see, e.g., Blanco et al 28 ). We assume that the differences in the craftsmanship of the plaques may well result from differences in the technical skill of the engravers associated to age and experience, as we see…”

Neanderthal Fossils, Mobile Toolkit and a Hyena Den: The Archaeological Assemblage of Lateral Gallery 1 in Cova Del Gegant (NE Iberian Peninsula)

“…The large presence of choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax and Pyrrhocorax graculus) in avian assemblages has been commonly attributed to chough nesting and roosting behaviour in rocky cavities. Very recently it has been observed that this pattern of overabundance does not occur with other rock dweller species, and is only observed in caves with evidence of human presence, and as such it has been proposed that these birds may have been hunted since Neanderthal times [77]. Most avian bones recorded correspond to diurnal species, but there are also some nocturnal raptors.…”

Rethinking Neandertals

“…Hunting, tools, and clothing. Recent publications in this area include the results of an actualistic study suggesting Neandertals captured birds (specifically) at night (Blanco et al 2021 On: Sat, 01 Jun 2024 10:18:49 also Finlayson 2019). Other studies show that Neandertals employed ambush hunting rather than persistence hunting when pursuing prey, which is hypothesized to have been a crucial difference between them and modern humans, giving the latter a competitive edge (Stewart et al 2019).…”