Osteometry of Duck Species in Northwestern Europe—A Reassessment of Woelfle's (1967) Dataset

Bibliographic Data

ID12371386
AuthorsPer G P Ericson (0000-0002-4143-9998, Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics Swedish Museum of Natural History Stockholm Sweden, corresponding author), Nadja Pöllath (0000-0001-8714-467X, Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns – Staatssammlung für Paläoanatomie München Poing Germany)
Year2025
Volume36
Issue1
Pages39-60
Publication date2025-12-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Osteoarchaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1047-482X • E-ISSN: 1099-1212
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/oa.70051
OpenAlexW4416994794
LanguageEN
References cited6

This study revisits and expands upon Elisabeth Woelfle's (1967) foundational analysis of bone morphology and osteometry, which has long been a key reference for zooarcheological identification of duck species in northwestern Europe. By examining Woelfle's unpublished measuring protocols and incorporating 523 newly measured specimens, we evaluate the reliability of traditional skeletal measurements. Our results highlight significant inconsistencies in inter‐ and intra‐observer reproducibility of several commonly used metrics. We identify nine problematic measurements and propose revised definitions to improve standardization and recommend abandoning poorly defined metrics. This revision aims to refine osteometric practices for ducks and potentially other avian taxa, to ensure greater accuracy in zooarcheological identifications. All measurement data, including digitized versions of Woelfle's original data, are made publicly available to support further morphological and comparative studies