Last 2 McKittrick bird bones

[hemipristis]

Here are the other two in the series.  One is a long limb bone, but the other maybe a tarsometatarsal?  The shorter of the two is approximately 2.25 in in length.

[siteseer]

The first bone looks like a bird radius.  The second one is a tarsometatarsus.

 

You would think that bird bones from a Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene site would be easy to identify.  That's a geologic yesterday.  For someone who hasn't studied birds, it's very difficult.  While the larger birds of the tar pits can be narrowed down, the smaller ones which are a lot more common, are poorly documented.  As you know, most bird bones are incomplete which only adds to the difficulty.  However, you do have a starting point.  Find a bird faunal list  from McKittrick or even Rancho La Brea, keeping in mind that not everything from McKittrick is at Rancho La Brea and vice versa and some elements might be common at one locality but not in another.  Here is a site that can be helpful:

 

http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Natural_History/Bones/homepage.htm

 

 

[Troodon]

Nice pair of bones

[hemipristis]

9 hours ago, siteseer said:

The first bone looks like a bird radius.  The second one is a tarsometatarsus.

 

You would think that bird bones from a Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene site would be easy to identify.  That's a geologic yesterday.  For someone who hasn't studied birds, it's very difficult.  While the larger birds of the tar pits can be narrowed down, the smaller ones which are a lot more common, are poorly documented.  As you know, most bird bones are incomplete which only adds to the difficulty.  However, you do have a starting point.  Find a bird faunal list  from McKittrick or even Rancho La Brea, keeping in mind that not everything from McKittrick is at Rancho La Brea and vice versa and some elements might be common at one locality but not in another.  Here is a site that can be helpful:

 

http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Natural_History/Bones/homepage.htm

 

 

thank you!

[hemipristis]

8 hours ago, Troodon said:

Nice pair of bones

gracias!