Past human exploitation of birds on the Isle of Man

Bibliographic Data

ID12371431
AuthorsClemency Fisher (National Museums Liverpool, corresponding author), Clemency Thorne Fisher (Curator of Birds and Mammals, Liverpool Museum, National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside, William Brown Street, Liverpool L3 8EN, UK)
Year1997
Volume7
Issue4
Pages292-297
Publication date1997-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Osteoarchaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1047-482X • E-ISSN: 1099-1212
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/(sici)1099-1212(199707/08)7:4<292::aid-oa381>3.0.co;2-#
OpenAlexW2019521122
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited4

This paper makes comparisons between various sources—historical, ethnographic and archaeological—that relate to birds on the Isle of Man, in order to give a picture of the former uses of birds by the Manx people. Written references suggest that seabirds in particular were an important source of the essentials of life, and this is reinforced by recent archaeological evidence. The bird bones discussed are from excavations at St Patrick's Island off the west coast and Castle Rushen, Castletown. Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus were present in greater numbers than they are now, and two fragments of the now extinct great auk Pinguinis impennis were identified, confirming the presence of this species on the Isle of Man. The evidence points to over-harvesting of the shearwaters and members of the auk family. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Archaeology · Geography · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation · History