Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, 45(special issue) 2002

Issue:

VOL 45(special issue) 2002

Keywords:

Gallinaceous birds, differential survivorship, skeletal identification

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Differential identifiability between chosen North American gallinaceous skeletons and the effect of differential survivorship

• Frank J. DIRRIGL Jr.

Abstract:

Differential identifiability – the variation in the ease with which skeletal parts can be identified in samples of their bones – affects the presence and abundance of gallinaceous birds reported in the zooarchaeological record. In this paper, I examined how the distinctiveness of morphological characters among 27 fossil classes of the gallinaceous birds: Bobwhite Colinus virginianus; Ruffed Grouse Bonasa umbellus; Prairie Hen Tympanuchus cupido; and Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo may limit the researcher’s ability to identify an archaeological bird bone specimen. The results and discussion: 1) demonstrate that the morphology of bird bones may limit taxonomic distinctions even at the high taxonomic levels of order and subfamily; and 2) present three patterns relating the differential identifiability of fossil classes to their differential survivorship. Awareness of the effects of these two factors potentially increases researchers’ ability to explain the occurrence and abundance of “rare” bird taxa in the archaeofaunal record.