A Q U I L A 1994. V O L . : 101 (45-52)
SUBFOSSIL BIRD-FAUNAS F R O M G R E E C E AND TURKEY Dr. Dénes
Jánossy
Abstract D. Jánossy: Subfossil bird-faunas from Greece and Turkey Faunal lists of Classical Greek-Middle Age birds from Greece (Torone, Peninsula Sithonia) and of more recent ones from SW-Turkey (shore of Lake Sugla) are presented. The Greek material yielded data about the winter ränge of some European waterfowl (swans, Black-throated Diver, Goosander etc.) and new data about the ancient ränge of some other species (Great Bustard, Demoiselle Crane). In Mediterranean fossil and subfossil bird faunas the rock partridges (Alectoris spp.) play an important role. The hitherto known fossil, subfossil and recent distribution of this group was compiled in a ränge map (see fig-1). Excavations carried out i n 1990 a n d 1991 by the Australian Archeological Institute of Athens, u n d e r the direction o f professor A. Cambitoglu i n the locality T o r o n e (southern part o f the Peninsula Sithonia) yielded m u c h osteological material aged as classical G r e e k to M i d d l e Ages. 5. Bökönyi, the director o f the Archeological Institute in Budapest, who assisted i n the excavations a n d i n the d e t e r m i n a t i o n o f the bones o f mammals, h a n d e d over to me the ornithofaunistical remains. I d e t e r m i n e d the rich fauna (37 species) as follows (with the n u m b e r o f bones): Aythya ferina (Linné), 1 Mergus merganser (Linné), 2 fNeophron percnopterus (Linné), 1 Aegypius monachus (Linné), 2 Falco tinnunculus (Linné), 2 Gallus gallus (Linné), 1 Alectorisgraeca (Meisner), 4 Otis tarda (Linné), 1 Anthropoides virgo (Linné), 2 Grus grus (Linné), 1 Scolopax rusticola (Linné), 4 Columba palumbus (Linné), 12 Columba cf. livia (Gmelin), 7 Athene noctua (Scopoli), 12 Asio otus (Linné), 1 Pyrrhocoraxgraculus (Linné), 7 Pyrrhocorax cf. pyrrhocorax (Linné), 2 Sturnus vulgaris (Linné), 30
Gavia arctica (Linné), 3 Podiceps ruficollis (Pallas), 1 Pufßnus puffinus (Brünnich), 1 Phalacrocorax carbo (Linné), 7 Phalacrocorax cf. aristotelis (Line), 2 Ardea cinerea (Linné), 1 Cygnus cygnus (Linné), 1 Cygnus olor (Gmelin), 1 Brantasp., 1 Anser anser (Linné), 3 Anas platyrhynchos (Linné), 16 Anas clypeata (Linné), 1 Anas aff. acuta (Linné), 2 Anas crecca (Linné), 2 Anas querquedula (Linné), 1 Anaspenelope (Linné), 3 Tadorna tadorna (Linné), 1 Casarca ferruginea (Pallas), 1 45
Fig. 1. Recent distribution (hatched) and fossil-subfossil localities (füll and open circles) of Alectoris spp. The following Upper Pleistocene - Holocene localities (open and füll circles) listed below: Portugal: Grotte de Furninha (Leiria), Grottes de Fontainhas, Zambuhal (Torres Vedras, NW Lissabon) and further cca. 10 localities enumerated by Hernandez (1993), not given in the map Spain: Parrajero (Prov. Cadiz), Cerro de la Tortuga, Toscanos (Prov. Malaga), Cabezo de San Pedro (near Huelva), Cueva de Nerja (Eastfrom Malaga), Muniga-Sierra Morena, Purunella, Monachil(Prov. Granada), MotillasdelAzuar(CiudadReal), CabodelaNao, Sarsa (Prov. Valencia), Cabezo Redondo (near Villena, Prov. Alicante) and further cca. 80 different localities in Spain, enumerated by Hernandez (1993), not given in the map. Gibraltar: Forbes Quarry, Devils Tower France: cca. 30 Pleistocene and Holocene localities from the southern part of France, enumerated by Chauviré, 1975 (only a part of them given in the figure) Monaco: Grottes de Grimaldi, Grotte de l'Observatoire. Italy: Grotta dei Colombi, Buca del Bersaliere (Isola Palmaria, Spezia); Buca del Tasso, Caverne di Equi (Alpi Apuane) Switzerland: Burg Schiedberg (between Illanz and Chur) Austria: Drachenhöhle bei Mixnitz (near Graz); Schusterlucke (Waldvier tel Niederösterreich, near Krems) Bohemia: St. Ivan cave, near Beraun Hungary: Puskaporos (Bükk-Mountains, N-Hungary), sculptures on an old Christian plate (see text) Roumania: Cvina Turcului, Casanele Mari (Iron Gate). Bulgária: BachoChiro cave (Pass of Sipka, near Kazanlik), Nikopol ad Istrum (North from Veliko Trnowo) Greece: Petralona, NE from Tessaloniki (see text); Torone; Grotte de Kitsos (Attique, Lavrion) Ukraine: Odessa (see text); Kara Koba Cave (Krim Peninsula). Turkey: Bergama (Pergamon, W-Turkey); Sugla-Lake (see text); Hassek-Höyük and Lidar-Höyük (SE-Anatolia, Valley of northern Euphrates=Firat); Elazig (E-Anatolia); Altinova (Depression between Elazig and Euphrates) Iran: Bastam; Takht-iSuleiman (NW-Iran, Azerbaidhzan) Iraq: Uruk-Warka (Baghdad-Range) Caucasus: Treugolnaja-Cave (N-Caucasus, Urup-River); Kudaro I. (Transcaucasia, Ossetia); Gwardshilas Klde (Imeretia, between Kutaisi and the Lesser Caucasus); Binagady (near Baku, Apsheron Peninsula) Jordan: Tell-Hesban (Hisban, Hesbon, NE from the Dead See) Libanon: Antelias-Cave (E of Beyruth) Israel: Oum-Katafa (Range of Jerusalem-Betlehem); Kebara-Cave (S from Haifa), 'Ubeidia (S from the Lake Tiberias, Middle Pleistocene, described as Alectoris barjosefi Tchernov 1980). Uzbekistan Teshik-Tash (Range of Bajsun-Shirabad=Sherabad) Kirgizia: SjurprisCave (uncertain determination, Ammoperdix) Kazakhstan: Karaungur, Dshambula (N from the Lake Balhash) 1. ábra: A szirtifogoly fajok (Alectoris spp.) jelenlegi elterjedése (sávozott) és fosszilis-szubfosszilis lelőhelyei (fekete és üres körök). További felső pleisztocén-holocén lelőhelyek (üres, illetve fekete körök):
46
T h e other material, with w h i c h I wish to deal here, originates from South-Western T u r k e y , between A n t a l y a a n d K o n i a , f r o m a rock-shelter near the shores o f the L a k e Sugla („Sugla G ö l ü " ) . T h e collector i n 1991 was O n u r Ö z b e k , m e m b e r o f the Turkish Speleological Society ( M A D ) a n d the material was h a n d e d over to me by J. Hir, paleontologist (Museum of Pásztó, N . H u n g a r y ) , to w h o m are due sincere thanks. J. Hir d e t e r m i n e d the remains (except for birds) as follows: Celtis caucasica Anura indet. (predominating) Rhinolophus hypposideros (Beckstein) Rhinolophus euryale (Blasius) Apodemus mystacinus (Danford a n d Alston) Microtus guentheri (Danford a n d Alston) Microtus arvalis (Pallas) Capra sp. A c c o r d i n g to literary data all the members o f this list are living today i n the wider territory o f the locality. T h u s , i n the deposit o f the cave this matter is rather superficial, the age may be given as „ s u b - r e c e n t " . A m o n g birds I identified the following: Fulica atra (Linné), 2 Falco tinnunculus (Linné), 7 Alectoris graeca (Meisner), 10 Fringillida gen. etsp. indet., 2 47
Fig. 2. Part of old Christian silver late with depicition of Rock Partridges from 2nd Century [Kismákfa, county Vas] 2. ábra Ókeresztény ezüsttál részlete a szirti foglyok ábrázolásával, [kb. a II. századból kismákfai (Vas megye) lelőhelyről] C o n s i d e r i n g the fact that H o l o c e n e b i r d faunas f r o m the Balkans a n d from A s i a M i n o r are not numerous, I wish to m e n t i o n here some occurren ces o f species w h i c h are faunistically, ecologically a n d climatically significant. A l i species enumerated i n the list, given f r o m T o r o n e are nesting today or m i g r a t i n g t h r o u g h the S o u t h e r n Balkans, i.e. the „ m a i n l a n d " o f Greece. Some species o n the list, noticed as new for the territory are k n o w n f r o m the rich faunas o f Crete [e.g. Shearwater a n d Shag, (Weesie, 1978)], - but this island has since the b e g i n n i n g o f the Pleistocene been isolated f r o m Greece and belongs only administratively to this country but zoogeographically is not. These are all complementary data about some species otherwise widespread in those times i n the islands o f the M e d i t e r r a n e a n (Alcover-Flor i t - M o u r e r - C h a u v i r é - Weesie, 1992). A n ulna-fragment, morphologically nearest to birds o f prey, i n the material o f T o r o n e , shows the features o f vultures, too small for a Gypaetus 48
and too large for Neophron. T h u s , the determination is uncertain, not only morphologically, but also zoogeographically (see Jánossy, 1989). Similarly i n the bone material o f T o r o n e a small crane is represented by a p r o x i m a l fragment o f tarsometatarsus. T h e morphological features and the measurement ( p r o x i m a l width 17.0 mm) suggest Demoiselle Crane. Accor d i n g to literary data this species nests today i n some places in the I b é r i á n Peninsula a n d i n A l g i r and M o r o c c o , in the eastern parts o f E u r o p e , i n the U k r a i n e a n d i n Moldávia. It has vanished from its former breeding r a n g é i n Dobruja a n d Bessarabia. I failed to find literary data about the subfossil occurrence o f this species, but by courtesy o f T. Tyrberg (Kimstad, Sweden), I obtained, with thanks, some data from the C r i m e a ( M u r z a - K o b a , Grimm, 1970) a n d from Gizeh in Egypt (Boessneck, 1986). Cowles (1981) gave some fossil occurrences from the Pin H o l e Cave i n E n g l a n d a n d Eastham (1968) from the Gorham's Cave in Gibraltar. A fragment o f a tarsometatarsus o f Grus grus ( p r o x i m a l width cca. 26 m m , the same measurement i n my recent osteological material [n=6]: 20-22 mm) shows the usual large dimensions o f the C r a n e i n the E u r o p e a n Holocene at all. A n entire tibiotarsus o f a female o f Otis tarda shows together with remains from the C a n a r y Islands, f r o m S-England, Spain, N o r t h e r n A f r i c a to Greece the wide distribution o f the Great B u s t a r d i n the H o l o c e n e o f the M e d i t e r r a nean A r e a (see also Chauviré, 1981). T o r o n e yielded the remains o f the two chough-( Pyrrhocorax) species, - also at first i n Greece, - these are winter visitors to the cliffs o f sea-shores, and are otherwise rather members o f the fauna o f h i g h mountains. Last but not least I wish to deal with more details c o n c e r n i n g the origin and diffusion o f the rock-partriges (Alectoris spp.), - i n time and space, p r e d o m i n a t i n g i n the fauna o f the shore o f Sugla-Lake a n d always present i n the G r e e k H o l o c e n e at all. T h e n u m b e r o f occurrences gathered together to such a degree means that we can orientate ourselves o n this matter. I deal with the different species o f Alectoris (considered i n the recent literature often as „semispecies") as a homogenious unit, because the climatical-environmental demands seem to be very near for the different forms (Alectoris graeca, kakelik, barbára, rufa etc.). A l l are considered as mediterranean (turkestanian) elements o f the E u r o p e a n b i r d fauna. T o evaluate relationships I c o m p i l e d an area map o f the recent, subfossil a n d fossil occurrences o f rock-partriges (without the aim o f completeness!). T h e data from A s i a are partially uncertain and therefore to be considered only as a sketch. A c c o r d i n g to o u r present knowledge Alectoris seems to be absolutely native in E u r o p e . T h i s statement is supported by U p p e r Miocene Alectoris bavarica Ballmann 1969, relatively very n o r t h (49°N) i n G e r m a n y . T h i s follows the Lowest Pleistocene remains from Odessa: Alectoris pliocaenica Tugarinow, 1930. I n the L o w e r Pleistocene Alectoris was seemingly widespread i n E u r o p e , the r e m a i n o f S e n é z e (Stehlin, 1923) is p r o o f o f this. In the L o w e r - M i d d l e Pleistocene there are findings f r o m France (8-10 localities, 49
Alectoris graeca mediterranea a n d A.g. martelensis, Mourer-Chauviré, 1975 Greece (Kretzoi, 1977) a n d the N o r t h e r n Caucasus (Baryshnikow-Potapowa 1992). A c c o r d i n g to the lists o f Lambrecht (1933), Brodkorb (1964), Burchak-Abr movich (1975), Piehler (1976), Mourer-Chauviré (1975) a n d m u c h scattered literary data (in some territories the great n u m b e r o f localities was not possible to represent - e.g. i n France o r S p a i n , see Fig. 1., a n d in the eastern part the picture is only a row sketch!) the m a i n area o f the r ä n g e has since the Pleistocene the M e d i t e r r a n e a n territory. Somewhat enigmatic but very few points are the occurrences i n the H o l o c e n e o f St. Ivan-Cave near B e r o u n , B o h e m i a (cca. 50° N ) a n d i n the „ m i x e d " matter f r o m the Schusterlucke, Waldviertel N i e d e r - Ö s t e r r e i c h ( 4 8 ° 3 0 ' N ) a n d the H o l o c e n e o f the rock-shelter Puskaporos ( 4 8 ° 0 7 ' N ) in N . H u n g a r y . Otherwise it should be mentioned that rock-partridges are absent not only f r o m the n o r t h e r n parts o f Western E u r o p e , but also f r o m H u n g a r y a n d the whole o f the Southern Russian Plain (Woinstwenskij, 1967). Alectoris species have been since the earlier H o l o c e n e a convenient food a n d later pet species strongly connected to m a n a n d a p u z z l i n g picture o f introduction i n E u r o p e can be registered. T h e r e are i n the literature data about the successful i n t r o d u c t i o n to G r e a t - B r i t a i n i n the 18th Century (54°-55° N ) , to G e r m a n y , Valley o f M o s e l , 16th Century (50°20'), the C r i m e a and many M e d i t e r r a n e a n islands (as well as the C a n a r y Islands, Azores, M a d e i r a etc.), Aleover et a l . , (1992) assume that the lack o r very late appearence o f the rock-partridges i n M e d i t e r r a n e a n islands, — today nearly all populated by these birds, - is connected to artificial i n t r o d u c t i o n by m a n . Searching for archeological data, I f o u n d a n interesting item. I n Western H u n g a r y , K i s m á k f a (County Vas) a n early C h r i s t i a n silver plate was f o u n d (10 c m diameter) with thirteen engraved, absolutely well identifiable rock-partridges. T h e exact location a n d o r i g i n o f the silver plate is unfortunately u n k n o w n . A c c o r d i n g to archeologists, these may be the Symbols o f t h e twelve apostles a n d o f Christ (one symbol is different f r o m the others, Thomas et al. 1980).
References — Irodalom: Aleover, J. A.-Florit, F.-Mourer-Chauviré, C.-Weesie, P. D. M.(1992): The avifaunas of the isolated mediterranean islands during the Middle and the Late Pleistocene. Los Angeles County Mus. Nat. Hist. Sei. Ser.: 273-283. Ballmann, P.(1969): Die Vögel aus der altburdigalen Spaltenfüllung von Wintershof(West) bei Eichstätt in Bayern. Zitteliana. 1.: 5-60. Baryshnikov, G.-Potapova, 0.(1992): Pleistocene birds from the Acheulien Site of Treugolnaja Cave in the Northern Caucasus. Abstract of lecture on the S.Sympo sium ofthe Society of Avian Paleontology and Evolution.Frankfurt am Main. Boessneck, J.(1986): Vogelknochenfunde aus dem alten Ägypten. A n n . Naturhist. Mus. Wien. B.88/89.:323-344. Brodkorb, P.(1964): Catalogue of fossil birds.Part 2(Anseriformes through Galliformes). Bull. Florida State Mus. Biol. Sei. 8.3.: 195-335. 50
Burcak-Abramovic, N. I. (1975): Die Pleistozäne Vogelfauna der UdssR. Quartärpa läontologie. l.:87-105. Cowles, G. S.(1981): The first evidence of Demoiselle Crane, Anthropoides virgo and Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmaeus in Britain. Bull. B. O. C. 101(4).: 383-386. Eastham,A.(1968):The Avifauna of Gorham's Cave, Gibraltar. Inst, of Archeology (London) Bull. 7.: 37-42. Grimm, 11.(1970): Vögel in der Begleitfauna des vor- und frühgeschichtlichen Menschen, Beitr. Vogelkd. 16.: 125-144. Hernandez Carrasquüla,Fr.(1993): Catalogo provisional de los yacimentos con Aves del cuaternario de la peninsula Iberica. Archaeofauna 2.131-275. Jánossy, D.(1989): Postpleistozäne Verbreitung des Smutzgeiers (Neophron percnopterus) im Mittelmeerraum. Fragm. Miner. Palaeont. Budapest. 14.: 121-125. Kretzoi, M.(1977): The fauna of small Vertebrates of the Middle Pleistocene at Petralona. Anthropos. 4.1-2.: 131-143. Lambrecht, K.(1933): Handbuch der Paläornithologie. Bornträger, Berlin. 1024 pp. Mourer-Chauviré,C.(1975): Les oiseaux du Pleistocene moyen et supérieur de France. Docum. Lab. Géol. Fac. Sei. Lyon. 64.2.:624 pp. Mourer-Chauviré,C.(1981): Les oiseaux de la grotte de Kitsos (Attique.Grece), in: La grotte préhistorique de Kitsos (Attique) sous la direction de Nicole Lambert. Paris-Athénes. 595-606. Piehler, H. M.(1976): Knochenfunde von Wildvögeln aus archäologischen Grabun gen in Mitteleuropa (Zeitraum: Neolithikum bis Mittelalter). Dissertation München, 179 pp. Stehlin, H. G.(1923): Die oberpliocaene Fauna von Senéze (Haute-Loire). Eclogae geol.Helvetiae 18.2.:268-281. Tchernov, E.(1980): The Pleistocene Birds of Ubeidiya, Jordan Valley. Israel Acad. Sei. Publications, Jerusalem. 83 pp. Thomas, E. et al. (1980): The archaeology of Roman Pannónia. Akad. Kiadó Budapest.506 pp. Weesie, P. D. M.(1987): The Quaternary avifauna of Crete, Greece. Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor in de wiskunde en naturwetenschappen aan de rijksuniversiteit te Utrecht. 90 pp. Woinstwenskij, M. A.(1967): The originof the Ornithofauna of the Ukrajne. Naukowa Dumka. Kiew. 76 pp. (russ.) Author's adress: Dr. Dénes Jánossy BUDAPEST Torockó u. 10. H-1026
Szubfosszilis madármaradványok Görög- és Törökországból Dr. Jánossy Dénes A Földközi-tenger medencéje keleti részének szubfosszilis (az elmúlt 10000 évből származó) madárfaunájáról szóló ismereteink meglehetősen hézagosak. Éppen ezért jelentős az Akadémiai Régészeti Kutatóintézettől hozzám feldolgozásra eljuttatott Sithonia görög félszigetről származó - , klasszikus görögközépkori időkből származó anyag. Feltűnő a fajok nagy száma (37 faj, lásd a listát az angol szövegben), melyek 51
jelentős része vonuló vízimadaraktól származik (pl. hattyúk, sarki búvár, nagy bukó) továbbá egyes alakok egykori elterjedéséről ad kiegészítő információt (pl. túzok, pártás daru). A másik itt tárgyalásra kerülő anyag DNy-Törökországból származik - Hir Jánostól került a Magyar Természettudományi Múzeumba - és inkább szórványleletnek tekinthető. Két európai faj mellett a szirti fogoly leletei dominálnak. Ez utóbbiakkal kapcsolatban összeállításra került az 1. ábrán valamennyi eddig leírt szirti fogoly (Alectoris spp.) jelenlegi elterjedése, ami függőleges sávozással szerepel. Fehér téglalap az egyetlen miocén, fekete körök a pleisztocén, üres körök a holocén előfordulásokat jelzik. Az előfordulások nagy száma miatt Európában csak azok egy része van megadva. Az ázsiai előfordulási pontok csak jelzésszerűek és sokat nem mondanak, ezért kissé bizonytalan az a megállapítás, hogy a szirti foglyok Európából erednek, és mindig is a Mediterráneumhoz voltak és vannak kötve. Az összeállításnak érdekes hazai vonatkozása is van: biztos csontlelet hazai előfordulása nem ismert (bizonytalan a bükki Puskaporos-Kőfülke adata), de a dunántúli Kismákfa római kori régészeti maradványai közt került elő egy ókeresztény ezüst tál, melyen Krisztus és a 12 apostol jól felismerhető szirti foglyok által van szimbolizálva (Thomas et al. 1980). A tál biztosan nem hazai eredetű a régészek szerint.
52
