ABSTRACT
The effect of birds upon osseous remains is one of the earliest taphonomic topics speculated on prior to formalization of this field, in terms of how various types of birds might concentrate the bones of their small prey in favored feeding locations (Buckland 1823). This early interest and subsequent research into this topic may have been driven by its visibility and ubiquity: many raptor (predatory) bird species roost in the same location continuously for a large portion of a year, often raising a brood at that time. Their energy requirements are such that many trips per day with fresh prey to feed their young and themselves are necessary. The remains of these meals can build up substantial osseous assemblages in and under roosting sites, and many such roosts are reoccupied over multiple years, sometimes by different species in succession. Feeding often proceeds in a dramatic fashion, with whole prey gobbled up or torn into pieces for nestlings. These rather striking ecological proceedings (often occurring in urban/commensal settings as large raptors are reintroduced into these environments) may have spurred interest in the hunting and feeding habits of these charismatic species as determined from the remains of their feeding. Adding to this potential interest by humans into raptor activities may be the regurgitation of pellets,
Introduction 427 Raptor Predation upon Primates 428 Scavenging Birds 430
Scavenging Birds and Human Remains 430 Vultures 430
Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) 431 Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) 433
Other North American (Nearctic) Scavenging Bird Species 434 Direct Damage to Bone by Large Scavenging Birds 435 Potential Estimation of the PMI 438 Dispersal of Human Remains by Large Scavenging Birds 440 Conclusions 441 Acknowledgments 442 References 442
the undigested concentrated balls of fur, feathers, connective tissue, and bone, which also accumulate in and under raptor roosts in large quantities (Bunn et al. 1982). These are egested by many raptor species (Glue 1970), not just owls (Order Strigiformes). Pellets often protect their contained osseous remains exceedingly well until their incorporation into sediments (Lyman et al. 2003). Raptors therefore are likely the fastest concentrators of osseous remains (as measured by element counts) in the animal world, outpacing such taxa as hyaenids and canids. As such, their behavior relevant to small vertebrate taphonomy has been widely researched (Andrews 1990; Bochenski and Tornberg 2003; Pokines 1998; Pokines and Kerbis Peterhans 1998; Pokines et al. 2011).
