Bone Mineral Density of Willow Ptarmigan ( <scp> <i>Lagopus lagopus</i> </scp> ) as a Potential Taphonomic Factor in Skeletal Part Attrition

ABSTRACT Agents of taphonomy can bias skeletal parts and the frequency of bones in archaeological sites. An important factor to consider is the possible effect of bone density‐mediated attrition on archaeornithological assemblages. We scanned willow ptarmigan ( Lagopus lagopus ) specimens using a Lunar iDXA and an enCcore small animal body add‐on to develop a rank‐order scheme based on the volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) of skeletal parts. Our results identified the tibiotarsus and femur to be the least dense bones, while carpometacarpus, 3rd digit, and coracoid were the densest. This novel scheme allowed us to evaluate a sample of 22 published site reports to assess the possible likelihood that vBMD influenced the occurrence of skeletal parts in the assemblages. Across open and cave‐rockshelter archaeological sites, we found 32% possibly or most likely affected by vBMD among other taphonomic factors. Our study is the first to evaluate the potential effects of L. lagopus vBMD bone density‐mediated attrition.