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14 September 2021 Past distribution of the Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) in the Lesser Antilles: New evidence from Saint Martin and Guadeloupe (F.W.I.)
Monica Gala, Véronique Laroulandie, Arnaud Lenoble
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Abstract

Recent excavations from late Pleistocene to Historical period sites on the islands of Guadeloupe and Saint Martin yielded bones of the Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia). The osteological description of the remains combined with the location of fossil-bearing sites and historical accounts show this owl to have been present across the Guadeloupe islands in historical periods. This species has been identified in multiple archaeological sites, including those reported here, attesting to the near continuous distribution of this owl throughout the pre-Columbian period in the north of Lesser Antilles. Taken together, these results challenge the previous hypothesis of a relict distribution of the Burrowing Owl as a consequence of climatically induced modifications of the Caribbean environment since the last glaciation.

Monica Gala, Véronique Laroulandie, and Arnaud Lenoble "Past distribution of the Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) in the Lesser Antilles: New evidence from Saint Martin and Guadeloupe (F.W.I.)," The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 132(4), 868-880, (14 September 2021). https://doi.org/10.1676/19-00135
Received: 19 November 2019; Accepted: 22 February 2021; Published: 14 September 2021
KEYWORDS
biogeography
extinction
Holocene
Late Pleistocene
Strigidae
West Indies
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