Duck, Duck, Goose

Varying Goose Proportions in Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene Southwest Asia

Datos Bibliográficos

ID12371085
AutoresN Russell (0000-0001-7623-1364, Department of Anthropology Cornell University Ithaca New York USA, autor de correspondencia)
Año2025
Volumen36
Número1
Páginas61-76
Fecha de publicación2025-12-12
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaInternational Journal of Osteoarchaeology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1047-482X • E-ISSN: 1099-1212
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/oa.70057
OpenAlexW4417291283
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas38

Water birds, especially Anseriformes, predominate in most Early Holocene assemblages in Southwest Asia. However, the ratio of geese to ducks varies substantially. I survey Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene avian assemblages to explore whether the variability in relative proportions of geese, most of which breed far to the north and would be present only during migration and winter, was due to shifting migration and wintering patterns in response to climate change, local environmental conditions, or human selection. The results paint a complex picture, with signs of changes in migration or wintering location apparent in some goose species, local environmental effects in some locations, and human choices apparent at some sites. Judging from body part distributions, geese were not always eaten even when taken in substantial numbers; their feathers may often have been valued over their flesh, although they are large, meaty birds that occur in abundance in autumn and winter. In some cases, different choices were made at settlements that are quite nearby and with apparently similar landscapes