Duck, Duck, Goose: Varying Goose Proportions in Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene Southwest Asia

ABSTRACT Water birds, especially Anseriformes, predominate in most Early Holocene assemblages in Southwest Asia. However, the ratio of geese to ducks varies substantially. I survey Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene avian assemblages to explore whether the variability in relative proportions of geese, most of which breed far to the north and would be present only during migration and winter, was due to shifting migration and wintering patterns in response to climate change, local environmental conditions, or human selection. The results paint a complex picture, with signs of changes in migration or wintering location apparent in some goose species, local environmental effects in some locations, and human choices apparent at some sites. Judging from body part distributions, geese were not always eaten even when taken in substantial numbers; their feathers may often have been valued over their flesh, although they are large, meaty birds that occur in abundance in autumn and winter. In some cases, different choices were made at settlements that are quite nearby and with apparently similar landscapes.