Holocene record of the Antarctic shag (Notocarbo bransfieldensis) in Fuegian waters

International audienceThe Antarctic Shag can be discriminated from its congeners by five osteological characters. Using these characters, we were able to identify bones of this species in five shell middens located in southern Fuego-Patagonia. The temporal distribution of these elements extends from historical times (280 YBP) to the middle Holocene (6,100 YBP). These extra-limital birds may have reached Fuegian waters through chance events, by postbreeding dispersal, or as vagrants from a yet undiscovered Fuegian colony. We discuss the implication of these and other findings on the specific status of the Antarctic Shag and its sympatry with the Imperial Shag. The current designation of the Antarctic Shag is proposed as Notocarbo bransfieldensis (Friedmann 1945)

Punta María 2: los restos de aves

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Choix des espèces aviaires par les Indiens "canoeros" de Patagonie : approche ethno-archéologique

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Les Oiseaux

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Historical diversity of cormorants and shags from Amchitka Island, Alaska

International audienceWe studied the historical biodiversity of cormorants and shags in the central Aleutians by examining the presence and abundance of bones deposited in two large Aleut middens located on Amchitka Island, Alaska. The temporal range of discrete strata in these deposits was from Russian-era contact to about 2,650 years before present. We found six species in these middens: Pelagic, Red-faced, and Kenyon' s Shags (Stictocarbo [Phalacro-corax] pelagicus, S. urile, S. kenyoni), Double-crested (Hypoleucus [Phalacrocorax] auritus), Japanese (Phalacrocorax capillatus) and Pallas' s Cormorants (Compsohalieus [Phalacroco-rax] perspicillatus), ranked in order of abundance. Historical patterns of abundance differed among species. Japanese and Pallas' s Cormorants were most likely chance arrivals to the island, Double-crested Cormorants were not found post-contact and we hypothesize that Arctic Foxes may have extirpated them here; Pelagic and Red-faced Shags have remained in constant proportion over the years and abundances may relate to environmental or climatic change. Little is known about S. kenyoni. These results suggest that the diversity of the marine coastal avifauna has experienced dynamic change during the late Holocene and that the distributions of shags and cormorants in particular were different than now known

The Western Aleutians: Cultural Isolation and Environmental Change

International audienceRecent research in the westem Aleutians addresses two primary issues: the nature and extent of cultural exchange along the Aleutian chain, and Holocene environmental change and its effects on the development of Aleut culture. Cultural isolation is a major paradigm of researchers working in the Aleutians. Review of the distribution of several cultural traits suggests the Aleuts adopted many cultural elements originating outside the chain, but the distribution of these to the westem islands was uneven

Histoire culturelle du Dindon dans le Nouveau Monde

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Des plumes et le registre archéologique

International audienceLa plume est une matière première naturelle de choix qui possède des qualités variées selon l’oiseau dont elle provient et sa localisation sur le corps. À travers le monde, ces propriétés sont, ou étaient encore récemment, mises à profit pour de multiples usages dont témoignent les ressources ethnographiques sl. Si l’utilisation des plumes remonte à des temps plus anciens que ceux qui sont couverts par l’histoire et les sources écrites, les témoins matériels directs restent rares dans le registre archéologique. Car la plume, fragile phanère, se conserve uniquement dans des conditions d’enfouissements particulières (désert, glacier, tourbière). Dans des sols archéologiques moins favorables à la préservation, est-il pour autant impossible d’aborder la question de son utilisation ? Deux séries de restes ostéologiques d’oiseaux étudiés dans les sites archéologiques d’Offing 2, en Patagonie chilienne, et de l’île de Tromelin, dans l’Océan indien, serviront d’exemples pour illustrer que des témoignages indirects permettent, dans une certaine mesure, de pallier ce biais de conservation

Excavations at KIS-008, Buldir Island: Evaluation and Potential

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