Influence of Global and Local Environmental Change on Migratory Birds: Evidence for Variable Wetland Habitats in the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene of the Southern Levant

Abstract

ABSTRACT Analysis of avifaunal remains from Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene settlements on the edge of a seasonally refreshed, yet diminishing, wetland in eastern Jordan illustrates the impact that habitat loss can have on bird migration. The wetland was a key wintering ground for a variety of waterfowl, with passage migrants also pausing on long-distance routes that ended at more southerly destinations. These birds were hunted by people who made substantial use of their seasonal abundance. Over time climatic fluctuations and altering dynamics of local fluvial systems reduced the wetlands ability to attract waterfowl. Understanding causes of underlying changes to bird migration furthers our knowledge about the wetland ecotones favoured by people in the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene in the southern Levant.