On the wing: Morphological variation in the osteology of Mediterranean, Near Eastern, and European Anatidae (excluding Anserinae)

• Published in: Journal of morphology (1931) Vol. 285; no. 8; pp. e21750 - n/a
• Main Authors: Haruda, Ashleigh, Mazzucato, Camilla, Yeomans, Lisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.08.2024
• Subjects: Anatidae; Animals; ducks; Ducks - anatomy & histology; Europe; Fossils - anatomy & histology; geometric morphometrics; Mediterranean; morphology; Osteology; Wings, Animal - anatomy & histology; Zooarchaeology; Europe; Mediterranean; Zooarchaeology; morphology; Anatidae; ducks; geometric morphometrics
• ISSN: 0362-2525; 1097-4687; 1097-4687
• DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21750

Accurate identification of waterfowl bones in archaeological and fossil assemblages has potential to unlock new methods of past environmental reconstruction, as species have differing habitat preferences and migration patterns. Therefore, identifying the presence of avian species with different ecological niches is key to determining past environments and ultimately how prehistoric people responded to climatic and environmental realignments. However, the identification of osteological remains of waterbirds such as ducks to species level is notoriously challenging. We address this by presenting a new two‐dimensional geometric morphometric protocol on wing elements from over 20 duck species and test the utility of these shape data for correct species identification. This is an ideal starting point to expand utilization of these types of approaches in avifaunal research and test applicability to an extremely difficult taxonomic group. The morphology of the coracoid, humerus, and carpometacarpus of 21 Palearctic duck species are characterized with two‐dimensional geometric morphometric methods. The utility of this morphometric data is tested as a method for species identification using two different cross‐validation approaches. Although some species can reliably be identified using this technique, such as those from the Mergini tribe, others such as those from the Anatinae are more challenging.