Change in Historical Range of the Ural Owl in Europe
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2016.37Keywords:
biogeography, bird, Strix uralensis, Ural Owl, zooarchaeologyAbstract
A carpometacarpus recovered during archaeological excavations in the town of Quaregnon is the westernmost find ever reported in Europe of a Ural Owl (Strix uralensis), and the first occurrence for Belgium. Both the morphology of the skeletal element and its measurements rule out an identification as any of the other Strigiformes from the Western Palearctic. The provenance of this specimen, that dates to the medieval period (10th-12th centuries AD), is discussed. It is hypothesized that the bird was a wild animal, but the available evidence does not unequivocally determine whether it belonged to a local, breeding population that went extinct or if it came from a more distant population. However, a survey of other zooarchaeological finds of Ural Owl in Europe shows that the species occurred farther west in the past, outside the present natural breeding range. This suggests that Ural Owl may have found suitable nesting biotopes in Belgium and northern France during the medieval period.References
Ambros C (1992). Tierreste aus neolithischen, äneolithischen und bronzezeitlichen Siedlungen in der Slowakei (Katalog). Manuskript Archäologisches Institut der Slowakischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Nitra.
Bashta AT (2009). Ural Owl Strix uralensis Population Dynamics and Range Expansion in Western Ukraine. Ardea, 97: 483-487.
Baumel JJ (1993). Handbook of avian anatomy: nomina anatomica avium. Publications of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, 23.
Becker C (1981). Tierknochenfunde. Dritter Bericht. Die neolithischen Ufersiedlungen von Twann, 11: 1-206.
Becker C & Pieper H (1982). Zum Nachweis des Habichtkauzes Strix uralensis in einer neolithischen Seeufersiedlung der Schweiz. Der Ornithologische Beobachter, 79: 159-162.
Benecke N (1999). The project „The Holocene History of the European Vertebrate Fauna“. In: Benecke N (ed.), The Holocene History of the European Vertebrate Fauna. Modern Aspects of Research, Marie Leidorf: 151-161.
Bolboaca LE, Baltag EȘ, Pocora V & Ion C (2013). Habitat selectivity of sympatric Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) and Ural Owl (Strix uralensis) in hill forests from north-eastern romania. Analele Științifice ale Universității „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” din Iași, s. Biologie animală, 59: 69-76.
Campbell KE & Bocheński ZM (2010). A new genus for the extinct Late Pleistocene owl Strix brea Howard (Aves: Strigiformes) from Rancho La Brea, California. In: Boles WE & Worthy TH (eds), Proceedings of the VII International Meeting of the Society of Avian Paleontology and Evolution. Records of the Australian Museum, 62: 123-144.
Chiquet PA (2009). La faune du Néolithique moyen de Concise (Vaud, Suisse) : analyse des modes d’exploitation des ressources animales et contribution à l’interprétation de l’espace habité. PhD thesis, Genève University.
Cramp S (1985). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume IV: Terns to Woodpeckers, Oxford Univiversity Press, Oxford.
Cramp S & Simmons KEL (1977). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume I: Ostriches to Ducks, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo J, Elliott A & Sargatal J (1999). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 5: Barn-owls to Hummingbirds, Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Denis M (2010). Quaregnon/Quaregnon : fouilles préventives aux abords de la tour Saint-Quentin, campagne 2008. Chronique de l’Archéologie wallonne, 17: 89-91.
Denis M (2011). Quaregnon/Quaregnon : fouilles préventives sur la Grand’Place, campagne 2009. Chronique de l’Archéologie wallonne, 18: 98-99.
Dornbusch M (1990). Ein interessanter Ringfund: Habichtskauz-Nachweis (Ringfund mitteilung der Vogelwarte Hiddensee 1/1990). Der Falke, 37: 300-301.
Ferraris JJF (1771-1778). Carte de Cabinet des Pays-Bas autrichiens, Mons, pl. 54. Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België (Internet adress : http://www.kbr.be/collections/cart_plan/ferraris/ferraris_fr.html).
Gautier A (1987). Taphonomic groups, how and why? Archaeozoologica, 12: 47-52.
Gehl O (1981). Groß Raden. Haustiere und Jagdwild der slawischen Siedler. Beiträge zur Ur- und Frühgeschichte der Bezirke Rostock, Schwerin und Neubrandenburg, 13.
Goffette Q, Denis M & Wouters W (2015). Quaregnon/Quaregnon : Etude des restes fauniques de la fin du premier Moyen Age (9e-11e siècle) découverts lors des fouilles de la Grand’Place en 2008 et 2009. Chronique de l’Archéologie Wallonne, 22: 114-117.
Hausknecht R, Jacobs S, Müller J, Zink R, Frey H, Solheim R, Vrezec A, Kristin A, Mihok J, Kergalve I, Saurola P & Kuehn R (2014). Phylogeographic analysis and genetic cluster recognition for the conservation of Ural Owls (Strix uralensis) in Europe. Journal of Ornithology, 155: 121-134.
Jaques SD & Dobney K (2002). Avian signatures for identity and status in Anglo-Saxon England. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, 45: 7-21.
Jánossy D (1977). Plio-Pleistocene bird remains from the Carpathian Basin III. Strigiformes, Falconiformes, Caprimulgiformes, Apodiformes. Aquila, 84: 9-36.
Jánossy D (1985). Wildvogelreste aus archäolo-gischen Grabungen in Ungarn (Neolithicum bis Mittelalter). Fragmenta mineralogica et Palaeontologica, 12: 67-103.
Kessler E (1985). Contribuţii noi la studiul avifaunelor cuaternare din România. Crişia, 15: 485-491.
Kessler J (2014). Fossil and Subfossil Bird Remains and Faunas from the Carpathian Basin. Ornis Hungarica, 22: 65-125.
Kristin A, Minok J, Danko S, Karaska D, Pacenovsky S, Saniga M, Bodova M, Balazs C, Sotnar K, Kornan J & Oleksak M (2007). Distribution, abundance and conservation of the Ural Owl Strix uralensis in Slovakia. In : Muller J, Schrezinger W, Moning C (eds.), European Ural Owl workshop, Praga. Tagungsbericht, 8: 8-15.
Langer G (1980). Vergleichend morphologische Untersuchungen an Einzelknochen in Mitteleuropa vorkommender mittelgrosser Eulenarten. PhD thesis, München University.
Loze IA (1988). Poselenija kamennogo veka Lubanskoj Niziny: Mezolit, pannij i srednij neolit. Riga.
Lundberg A & Westman B (1984). Reproductive success, mortality and nest site requirements of the Ural Owl Strix uralensis in central Sweden. Annales Zoologici Fennici, 21: 265-269.
Lyman RL (2006). Paleozoology in the Service of Conservation Biology. Evolutionary Anthro-pology, 15: 11-19.
Mebs T & Scherzinger W (2006). Rapaces nocturnes de France et d’Europe. Delachaux et Niestlé, Neuchâtel.
Mikkola H (1983). Owls of Europe. T & A D Poyser, Calton.
Nikulina EA & Schmölcke U (2015). First archaeogenetic results verify the mid-Holocene occurrence of Dalmatian pelican Pelecanus crispus far out of present range. Journal of Avian Biology, 46: 1-8.
Nogalski S & Sałaciak A (1990). Szczątki kostne ptaków w materiałach wykopaliskowych z Człuchowa. Roczniki Akademii Rolniczej w Poznaniu, 206 (Archeozoologia, 14): 51-67.
Oggins RS (2004). The Kings and Their Hawks: Falconry in Medieval England. Yale University Press, Yale.
Piehler HM (1976). Knochenfunde von Wildvögeln aus archäologischen Grabungen in Mitteleuropa. PhD thesis, München University.
Pucher E & Schmitzberger M (1999). Ein mittelalterlicher Fundkomplex aus Nieder österreich mit hohem Wildanteil: Die Flur Sand bei Raabs a.d. Thaya. In: Becker C (ed.), Historia animalium ex ossibus. Beiträge zur Paläoanatomie, Archäologie, Ägyptologie, Ethnologie und Geschichte der Tiermedizin (Festschrift für Angela von den Driesch zum 65. Geburtstag): 355-378.
Sauer-Neubert A (1968). Tierknochenfunde aus der römischen Zivilsiedlung in Hüfingen. II. Wild- und Haustierknochen mit Ausnahme der Rinder. Dissertation, PhD thesis, München University.
Schaal F (1968). Tierknochenfunde aus der Siedlung “Am Hetelberg” bei Gielde/Niedersachsen. Dissertation PhD thesis, München University.
Scherzinger W (2006). Die Wiederbegründung des Habichtskauz-Vorkommens Strix uralensis im Böhmerwald Ornithologischer Anzeiger, 45: 97-156.
Serjeantson D (2006). Birds: food and mark of status. In: Woolgar CM, Serjeantson D & Waldron T (eds), Food in medieval England, diet and nutrition: 131-147.
Stewart JR (2005). The use of modern geographical ranges in the identification of archaeological bird remains. In: Grupe G & Peters J (eds), Feathers, grit and symbolism. Birds and humans in the ancient Old and New Worlds, Marie Leidorf: 43-54.
Stewart JR (2007). The fossil and archaological record of the Eagle Owl in Britain. British Birds, 100: 481-486.
Stewart JR, Lister AM, Barnes I & Dalén L (2010). Refugia revisited: individualistic responses of species in space and time. Proceeding of the Royal Society B, 277: 661-671.
Strazdinja A (1986). Ostatki ptic v kul’turnych slojach mezolitčeskich stojanok Lubanskoj niziny Latvijskoj SSR. Izučenie ptic, ich ochrana i racional’noe ispol’zovanie: 262-263.
Teichert M & Lepiksaar J (1977). Die Vogelknochen aus den urgeschichtlichen Kulthöhlen des Kyffhäusergebirges. Alt-Thüringen, 14: 108-144.
Tomek T & Gumiński W (2003). Bird remains from the Mesolithic and Neolithic Site Dudka, Masuria, NE Poland. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, 46: 9-18.
Tyrberg T (2002). The archaeological record of domesticated and tamed birds in Sweden. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, 45: 215-231.
Valkama J, Saurola P, Lehikoinen A, Lehikoinen E, Piha M, Sola P & Velmala W (2014). The Finnish Bird Ringing Atlas. Vol II. Finnish Museum of Natural History and Ministry of Environment, Helsinki.
Vanpoucke S, Pigière F, Defgnée A & Van Neer W (2007). Pig husbandry and environmental conditions in Northern Gaul during Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages: the contribution of hypoplasia analysis. Archaeofauna, 16: 7-20.
Verhulst A (1999). Précis d’histoire rurale de la Belgique, Éditions de l’Université, Bruxelles.
Voinstvenskij MA (1967). Iskopaemaja ornitofauna Ukrainy. Prirodnaja obstanovka i fauny prošlogo, 3: 3-76.
von den Driesch A (1976). A guide to the measurement of animal bones from archaeological sites. Peabody Museum Bulletins, Yale.
von den Driesch A (1979). Tierknochenfunde aus Karlstein, Ldkr. Berchtesgadener Land. Bayerische Vorgeschichtsblätter, 44: 149-170.
von den Driesch A (1994). Vogelknochen aus Abris im Rheinhäuser Wald, Ldkr. Göttingen. Veröffentlichungen der urgeschichtlichen Sammlungen des Landesmuseums Hannover, 43: 127-139.
von den Driesch A & Pöllath N (2010). Distribution history of European wild birds based on archaeozoological records. A contribution to human-bird relationships in the past. In: Grupe G, McGlynn G & Peters J (eds), Archaeobiodiversity: A European perspective: 71-216.
Voous KH (1962). Die Vogelwelt Europas. Hamburg/Berlin.
Vrezec A & Tome D (2004). Altitudinal segregation between Ural Owl Strix uralensis and Tawny Owl S. aluco: evidence for competitive exclusion in raptorial birds. Bird Study, 51: 264-269.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
All published papers will be put on-line as high resolution PDF’s. Copyright thus remains with the authors. All manuscripts will be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
