An elusive ghost

Searching for the Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) in the past of Britain

Bibliographic Data

ID4622082
AuthorsU Albarella (0000-0001-5092-0532, Department of Archaeology University of Sheffield Sheffield UK, corresponding author), T F G Higham (0000-0002-5949-598X, University of Vienna), Tom Higham (Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences University of Vienna Vienna Austria), Alistair Mclean (Weston Park Museum, Western Bank Sheffield UK)
Year2023
Volume33
Issue4
Pages598-607
Publication date2023-07-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Osteoarchaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1047-482X • E-ISSN: 1099-1212
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/oa.3190
OpenAlexW4311125376
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited12

The Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) is currently absent as a regular breeder in Britain and its status as a native species has been debated. Its occurrence in the Pleistocene of Britain is sparse but uncontroversial, whereas its Holocene presence rests on very few ambiguous findings. Of these, a specimen from Demen's Dale (Derbyshire) originally attributed to the Mesolithic period is the most important. A re-evaluation of this bone (tarsometatarsus) is presented in this paper. Although its identification as an Eagle Owl is confirmed, radiocarbon dating suggests that the bird rather lived in the Late Pleistocene. On the basis of the current evidence, there are no Holocene remains of the Eagle Owl in the archaeological and fossil record of Britain and the native status of this species remains unconfirmed

Archaeology · Biology · Bubo · Eagle · Geography · Holocene · Mesolithic · Osteology · Pleistocene · Radiocarbon dating · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Evolution and Paleontology Studies · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Ecology

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