The former status of the Crane Grus grus in Britain

Abstract

The place‐name, archaeological and documentary evidence for the former widespread distribution and abundance of the Crane Grus grus in Britain (mostly England) is reviewed. There appear to be nearly 300 place‐names which include some reference to Cranes very widely distributed across Britain; at least half of the sample has the name associated with other place‐name elements relating to water (e.g. fen, mere, lake). No other wild bird appears in so many place‐names. Crane bones are also quite common in archaeological sites, although they are absent from most cave sites; they are reported from at least 78 excavations. The evidence of bestiaries, illustrated manuscripts and other documentary sources makes it clear that the Crane was a well‐known bird, clearly distinguished from the Grey Heron Ardea cinerea. All three lines of evidence confirm that the Crane was a breeding bird in Britain, not just a winter visitor.

Wetland place names as indicators of manifestations of recent climate change in SW Spain (Doñana Natural Park)

“…Various lines of research have reinforced this idea, as they have enabled the use of toponymy to reconstruct the past distribution of species of fauna in general (Cox et al 2002), of mammals (Aybes and Yalden 1995;Leaper et al 1999;Webster 2001) and birds (Boisseau and Yalden 1998;Moore 2002;Yalden 2002), and of flora (Bornaechea et al 1984;García Latorre et al 2001). …”

Foxes and Badgers in Anglo-Saxon Life and Landscape

“…Animals studied so far have tended to be those that became extinct, or near-extinct, in Britain, such as beavers, bears, aurochs, wild cat, wild boar and wolves (Aybes and Yalden 1995), eagles (Gelling 1987) and cranes (Boisseau and Yalden 1999), although deer (Yalden 1999), ravens (Moore 2002) and various other bird species have also received attention (Yalden 2002;Yalden and Albarella 2009). The lack of surveys on badgers and foxes, however, required this author to undertake a review of their presence in place-names.…”

The Mystery and Value of Place Names: Can History Help Us Get to the Bottom of Sturgeon Pool?

“…). Nicknamed “Albany Beef,” sturgeon were commercially harvested and well known by fishermen and the communities up and down the Hudson River (Saffron ), giving credence to the place name's biogeographical history. The species in question is not easily mistaken for another species (Boisseau and Yalden ). The two species of sturgeon are charismatic and unmistakable primitive fish compared to other Hudson River fishes and therefore, Sturgeon Pool is unlikely to have been named erroneously. There is precedence for nearby streams being named after similar organisms (Aybes and Yalden ) including Trout Creek, Fishkill Creek, and numerous Twaalfskills (named after Striped Bass [Murphy ]).…”

“…Both place names were constructed around what each naming group considered a defining element of the river. In recent years, place names have been used to recreate landscapes and define various species’ historical distributions (Aybes and Yalden ; Boisseau and Yalden ; Cox et al. ).…”

“…Both place names were constructed around what each naming group considered a defining element of the river. In recent years, place names have been used to recreate landscapes and define various species' historical distributions (Aybes and Yalden 1985;Boisseau and Yalden 1998;Cox et al 2002). For example, Aybes and Yalden (1985) used the preponderance of place names referencing wolves to corroborate archeological and documentary evidence of the timeline of wolf extinction in Britain.…”